Pinpoint Lifeline
by Rocci
Summary: Elrya is your average horned girl stuck in a facility and living in what may as well be Hell. She's your average Sipilet, hardly distinguishable from all the others. Yet she may be the only person who can stop the madness that plagues her species.
1. Amongst The Walls Of Pain

Author's Note: I write too many of these for my own good, but what can I say, EL is awesome. Unlike the other El stories that I've written (Differences Trilogy, Similarity and Walkways to Redemption) this will be the first EL story that will be rated T. Therefore it will be less gory, violent and definitely less sex. However I'll definitely keep it in the same level that any EL story should be expected to have. I'm expecting to make a big story out of this with lots of action, suspense, bullets, vectors and pink hair galore. So without further adieu I give you the new tale.

Special Thanks to shadowsandfire for Beta Reading. I owe you a lot.

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 1: Amongst The Walls Of Pain<em>**

_It's the afternoon and I know this because the doors to my cell are being opened by the head guard. He's a large man, brutish looking but deep down he's a nice guy; he talks to me often especially when I first got here. I was young, far younger than I am now, at the age of 15 but time doesn't stop me from thinking of the past._

_Oh…_

_I almost forgot to mention my name._

_Elrya, it's a nice name, given to me by my mother, or so I've been told although I have no idea what my last name is. I'm also not human. Yep I bet after reading that you're wondering exactly what your reading, if anyone is reading this at all. While physically I look like any other person, although perhaps my vividly bright violet hair is off hand. However I'm different from humans for two very distinctive reasons._

_Firstly I have horns. That's right I have horns, two bumps on each side of my head, white as a sheet and the main reason why I'm here. Though for some reason my horns don't seem to be the actual cause of my anger with the humans. I know that some of my kind whose hatred is sourced within these horns, but not me. No my hatred is driven to the next reason of why I am so different from the humans._

_I have more than two hands. No, not physically but it's true, I have more than two hands, it's something we call vectors. I have 5 of these arms, long straggly things that seemed to be made of thin vaporous gas. We all have it, my species that is, and needless to say this is the reason why I am here. You see our vectors are rather unique, and very dangerous. Sadly to say I've used mine on more than one case of lethality. I'm in here because I've used my vectors to kill before which is why it's so hard to really be angry. There are humans who have beat and tortured me while laughing and then there are those, like the head guard who are a bit sympathetic. I can't tell why these sympathetic ones are hurting us, or why they don't stop but I want to wait, just to see how things go on._

_Unfortunately it's hard, taking the pain day in and day out. But even I wouldn't know what was in store for me on this day, walking out of the cell naked as the day I was born to the experimentation chamber._

* * *

><p>Elrya walked through the pure white yet awfully bleak hallways that lead to the experimentation chamber. There she would get to meet the ever familiar feeling of having an iron ball roughly ¾ the size of her head bashed against said head until her vectors started to deflect them. Her max was 240 joules and they started on was 280, thus for a half hour she got to know the great feeling of steel on skin. She could hardly understand why they would start at such a high number; certainly they didn't expect her vectors to grow that strong in such a short time. Even more so, the stronger vectors got, the harder it got for ammo to bypass them. Therefore she believed that the reason the joules were set up so high, was to give her absolute pain and suffering. She could see them, up there in the window smiling sadistically, some pressing their faces against the glass as if trying to get a better look. They put the joules up so high so that her vectors would not be able to stop the balls from pounding against her body, yet if she refused to at least slow the balls down, then her body would be torn to shreds. Three soldiers and two scientist stand at the corner, keeping their distance as they know well enough and nod once. It's the same thing again and again, they're telling her to get in the straps, put them on herself and experiment will begin. Refusal isn't an option.<p>

"Good morning #90, did you get some good sleep tonight?"

Elrya didn't answer the sarcastic male voice but just clenched her teeth when the large machine came down, whirring loudly in her ears. She sighed, pulled out her vectors that floated around her and stared directly into the center hole where the iron balls would be fired from. She's ready now.

"Machine is in place, straps are secured, orb has been placed." The voice said over the intercom. "Session #128 with Diclonius #90, code named Elrya. Starting joules at…320"

"Huh!" She yelled before she saw nothing but a black bur firing at her. It bashed against her left arm, undeterred by her vectors which despite all of them trying to deflect it away, smashed through it like butter. The highly painful crack radiated in her ears and the pain seared through her shoulders and spread throughout her entire body. "Eh…Ehhh…Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" She could not help it, she was used to pain, it was something they all had to learn at some point or another, but it was so sudden that she could not help but shrill loudly.

Due to the fact that her arms were raised and pinned, the muscles in them shooting unbelievable amounts of pain throughout her which nearly blinded her.

"Wh-why?" The young girl cried out, wishing that her arm could just lay limp and not be forced to feel continuous pain like that. "This isn't fair! This is wrong and you know it!" She screamed at them, looking wickedly at the window and waiting for a response. The one she got, nearly made her blood boil.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Sorry about that #90, but we just thought we'd try something different. Don't worry, if we wished to kill you, we'd have aimed at your head."

Tears ran down her face as she heard the whirring of the machine again, thinking of betrayal, hate and misunderstanding. "Y-You bastards!" She screamed as loudly as she could while the next ball smashed into her gut near the right, crushing the ribs in an instant. With her mouth still opened during the scream she spat up her blood, eyes widened and her head went limp to the side. "Are you still conscious…#90?"

Her eyes flicker without her volition and a small laugh comes from the intercom. "Very good, orb #3 is in place.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered as if hoping that an apology would makes thing better. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry. I'll be good I promise, I won't hurt anyone and I won't do anything bad. I promise…please…PLEASE!" Her poor pleas fell on deaf ears and the shattering of her right knee filled her pathetic body with unimaginable pain. Mouth opened up in the shrill cry yet no sound came out, Elrya could only gasp and cry but never make a sound until 4 seconds later. "Ahhhhh!" And worse of all, the bastards up there had the nerve to laugh while doing it. This wasn't experimentation; it was full torture and brutality. She wasn't being treated as person, hell she wasn't even being treated as a Diclonius or animal. She was being treated as an object, a stick on the ground that could be snapped, twisted, beaten and left on the ground and nobody would give a two bit shit about it.

"No…more…"

Why did they continue?

"I'm sorry…PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE STOP IT!"

"Enough already!" Elrya still crying looked up at the window to see figures arguing. "This is enough; we needed to get experimentation on her vector strength. I can't believe you would even put it at 320, look at her! A snapped left arm, 7 broken ribs and who knows what else."

"Who was talking up there? Who was talking on her behalf?

"Listen to me, your job isn't to torture these girls, you are too slowly experiment at joules that are slightly above her vectors powers to deflect them. 280 joules is the limit at which you should fire at her." The voice then went directly on the intercom as the holders restraining her snapped off throwing her face first on the ground. "We are done for today, you will be escorted back Elrya."

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><p>Walking back to her cell, Elrya attempted to wipe the tears off her face to show some bravery. Tears meant fear, and if the humans didn't fear her, then what hope did she have against them? They could rip them apart, tear them to pieces so easily but they were also children. If she became weak, then there would be nothing that she could do against them. Her threats with vectors would only be laughed at, because surprisingly enough vectors were no longer a thing to be frightened of, at least for the veterans of the field. Then again only novices ever got stupid enough to get into her range and after the beating today the biggest idiot on the planet could come up, spit on her face and she wouldn't have the nerve to do anything. The head guard strolled next to her, calm and collect with his hands in his pockets looking ahead.<p>

"Who was that?" Elrya asked.

"You mean the man who ordered your release for the day?" The head guard inquired with a tilt of his head. Helping Elrya while she limped on one leg to her cell. He was a large man as his job would dictate, with a strange hair style that had his whole right side bald but his left side thick with black locks. "Garder F. Morotisan, Senior Executive of the Northwest Japanese Facility Of Human Evolution in Tokyo."

"So he's the…boss of this whole place?"

"That's correct Elrya, he's the boss of this specific facility. He himself takes his orders directly from the Head Direction himself, Kakuzawa out at Kamakura. However Garder is more than capable of making his own decisions and Kakuzawa has granted him more freedom in his work than some of the other executives."

"There are other executives?" Elrya asked. Conversations like this with the head guard were common and she enjoyed talking to him. He kindly listened, explained things and never treated her as an inferior. He was definitely one of the few humans who deserved to live.

"Correct. Director Kakuzawa the main director resides on an island near Kamakura and all direct orders come from him. Throughout 3 of Japan's major cities, smaller regional facilities such as this one are put out, mostly because your species has increased and become diverse in multiple areas that Kakuzawa can no longer contain all of you in such a small area. You should feel glad that these facilities are here right now because originally he ordered a mass execution of all Diclonius once his own facility filled up."

"Th-That bastard…" Elrya whispered mortified. "So he's responsible for everything!"

"Indeed, he is responsible. Alright Elrya get some rest on the bed, medical help will arrive in a few short minutes"

"Alright, thanks." She said with a nod, watching as the doors closed and the guard nonchalantly strolled out. Sighing and relaxing her body, so as not to open or agitate her wounds. She could only imagine, if she wasn't in dire pain right now, was the fact that the pain had reached the climax to where it overrode her body's pain receptors. That was the first time she had ever felt so scared and defenseless before. Was it not enough that they had her trapped against a wall throwing iron balls at her that her vectors could hardly handle anyways, much less start shooting at her with even stronger joules than before? Clearly the one in charge of her experimentation today was one of those sadistic humans who enjoyed torturing her and her kind. She made a promise to herself that if she ever found the person who decided to make that day of her life a living hell, she'd make their life a living hell.

"Huh?" She mumbled lowly as the doctors walked in, packed with the bare essentials to fix her up. A few bits of wrappings, sutures and surprisingly enough anesthetics considering they didn't mind breaking her body as they did. It was also one of the only times in which they didn't surround themselves with defensive measures in case she decided to act violently. After all if she did, they would do nothing, they'd leave her to suffer with her wounds, where if disease from her wounds didn't kill her, starvation would certainly do the trick. They would refuse to give her any food or water until she died, she knew this because some other poor soul had tried to attack the doctors once before. The sadistic bastards had not only let her starve to death, they had made her death public for all the Diclonius to see. That's right, on the last day right before she succumbed to her wounds and physical malnutrition, they had brought the 20 Diclonius that lived in the facility to her specific cell and forced them to watch as she died. Elrya remember as the young girl feebly reached out for help before falling on her side, and dying with tears streaming from her face.

"Sadistic monsters…" She thought as they wrapped her up, putting her arm and leg in place. "They're all…sadistic monsters."

* * *

><p>"Elrya, are you alright?" A small voice queried from the opposite cell. Turning her head, Elrya saw a girl about the same year with the same shade of pink on her hair (though slightly redder around the bangs) and a petite form that may have been able to get some girth had they been allowed proper feeding.<p>

"Not really Alya, you won't believe what they did to me."

Alya was another Diclonius that she had met during her first day at the facility and along with sharing two very similar names was the first person to comfort her during her first painful exposure to the world of the facility. She was like a sister and definitely a friend who helped her out in her toughest of times.

"I know, 320 joules that's just insane! Even some of the strongest Diclonius here can't handle that, what were they thinking?"

"Hm! Same question I've asked ever since I was forced into this hell hole." Elrya growled under her breath, wishing to turn on her side but broken ribs said differently. "I wish there was a way to get out of here."

"Well right now even if there was, it isn't like you can do much in your condition." Alya replied gazing closely at her bandages. Sighing deeply Elrya knew Alya was correct she wasn't exactly in the best of shape. "Easier said than done anyways, nobody has ever escaped from here." Elrya answered back after turning her head a bit to massage it. "The most we can do is kill a few unsuspecting people and then what? They bring out the big guns and that's it, game over and I'm dead. If I can't handle over 240 joules, there's no way I'm going to handle something fired from a 50 caliber or Tungsten bullets."

"You do make a good point, you'd have to go through an entire army just to get to the front door, all of them trying to blast you apart. Well the lucky thing is your injuries should heal up soon."

She nodded, because of her Diclonius DNA while her body was as susceptible to any kind of damage as a normal human her healing rate was abnormally high. As long as the wound wasn't life threatening or horrifically damaged (such as a missing limb) she would heal up in a week, 4-5 days with proper medical attention. Until then she was stuck in her cell, eating whatever crap they cooked up and talking to Alya from time to time. Escaping would be out of the question for now, because injured or not did not mean she was gone from experimentation.

"I'm going to get some sleep before they can do anything else to me." Elrya muttered while she closed her eyes. "Of course Elrya I won't bother you." Alya said placidly.

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><p>Meanwhile across the pacific on a specific little island of the most heinous type, a very familiar figure dropped into the ocean with a soft splash.<p> 


	2. Common Front Enemy

**Chapter 2: Common Front Enemy**

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><p>Garder F. Morotisan was a man in his late 40s, his face lined with age and his black hair that lay in straggly bits around his face tinged with grey. He wore a simple white shirt, jeans, which were covered up by a thin black coat with white lines passing over his midsection. Upon his lined face was a pair of horned rimmed glasses that nudged down at the end of his nose, which in the light glared brightly. But the most unique and perhaps fearful part about him was his eyes. They were pitched black slits, bordering on thin lines that starred with calm seriousness. This was the man who held control over the Northwest Regional Facility in Tokyo and needless to say nobody ever fucked with him. He wasn't evil, at least not outwardly as anybody who was the head boss in such a place could hardly be qualified as being good.<p>

It was his attitude, a cold calculating man who held his position with an iron will. They were the eyes of a soldier, he who had been in two separate wars before and ran with blood and sweat streaming down his body as his ears rang with the explosions and screams of the dying. He had a particularly large scar from a bomb explosion that ran down his right shoulder down to halfway at his gut that was thankfully well hidden underneath the shirt. He was currently sitting at his desk in his office, listening to random conversation that the staff was having outside, but keeping most of attention on the booklet at his hand.

_Primary Data List for Diclonius (Northwest Regional Tokyo)_

_Data Notes: Bolded Diclonius has shown to be highly volatile._

_Name: Veronica Tsunika_

_Number: #85_

_Vector number: 2_

_Vector Length: 3 meters_

**_Name: Carmen Del_**

**_Number: #86_**

**_Vector Number: 5_**

**_Vector Length: 6 meters_**

_Name: Sares (Facility Name)_

_Number: #87_

_Vector Number: 2_

_Vector Length: 4 meters_

**_Name: Helena (Facility Name)_**

**_Number: #88_**

**_Vector Number: 3_**

**_Vector Length: 1 meter_**

_Name: Kikia Monoko_

_Number: #89_

_Vector Number: 4_

_Vector Length: 2 meters_

**_Name: Elrya_**

**_Number: #90_**

**_Vector Number: 4_**

**_Vector Length: 8 meters_**

**_Name: Alya_**

**_Number: #91_**

**_Vector Number: 8_**

**_Vector Length: 12 meters_**

_Name: Neret (Facility Name)_

_Number: #92_

_Vector Number: 5_

_Vector Length: 2 meters_

_Vanessa Rimorlah_

_Number: #93_

_Vector Number: 3_

_Vector Length: 3 meters_

_Name: Neveta Orimih_

_Number: #94_

_Vector Number: 6_

_Vector Length: 7 meters_

_Name: Amayah Koronsuke_

_Number: #95_

_Vector Number: 2_

_Vector Length: 4 meters_

**_Name: Rin Loanata_**

**_Number #96_**

**_Vector Number: 5_**

**_Vector Length: 5 meters_**

He placed the bookmark on the last page he had read, quickly picking out a small book from the shelf entitled "Vector Properties Edition 2.4" and began to read it carefully, his slit eyes narrowing as he read important details within the book before closing it and rising from his seat. Garder closed his eyes standing in the center of his office and quietly listening, concentrating as deeply as he could. He could hear conversations that most would never have been able to discern normally, typical conversations that people had in the facility, he could hear the whirring of random machines, the buzzing of his fan, he silently let his body and mind tense.

Conversations became blurred before falling into silence, machines that were booming loudly suddenly became quiet to his ears, he opened his eyes finally, and remained stoic while absolutely no sound reached his ears except one. A specific vibration that came from the Diclonius cells radiated in his ears while his fingers flexed menacingly. With a relaxed sigh sound burst into his ear drums again, filling his mind with the day to day noises everybody else was accustomed to hearing.

*Riiiiiing*

"Hello?" Garder answered the phone on the first ring, his voice icily calm and strict, and his words slightly on edge as if he was having trouble pronouncing certain syllables. He instantly became, if such a thing was even possible, more serious as he heard his boss' voice talking to him.

"Is that so Director Kakuzawa, over 15 people killed by a single woman? Not to mention that this woman…Lucy did you call her…is the only known Queen of the entire Diclonius? Well sir, what exactly do you want me to do about it? My business is here at my own facility and while I'd be glad to send you data reports, finding a single woman seems rather off hand. Certainly you have the equipment and personnel to handle such a problem?"

He waited and listened to the response.

"Very well Kakuzawa, I will see what I can do after you've made your own attempt at fixing your own problem. No I very well do understand my place Kakuzawa; I believe it is you who are being arrogant on the matter. I am not the one with a lost Diclonius, when and if I face your own troubles then I would take my own necessary actions. I am under your rule Kakuzawa, I understand that, but I am also the head of my own facility. I will not partake in useless search missions for a single woman that you were so careless to let out, not to mention that there is a clear lack of defensive measures at your facility. Blind threats mean nothing to me Kakuzawa, you should know that well enough, and I've made it clear. Figure out something first then talk to me."

And with that Garder hung up, resting his hands back gently on his desk and starring with stoic coldness at the wall in thought.

* * *

><p>"Ow…ow…ah…gah…ow." Elrya moaned painfully trying to get her body comfortable on the hard bed which with her wounds hardly did anything but give her already aching body another dose of pain. Two days had passed since her little "experiment" and she wished to high heaven her wounds would freaking heal. It hurt, her body was in shambles and the doctors and other scientists decided to give her the bed side treatment experimentation. That meant exposing her body to multiple chemicals that in the end made her feel a little less than crap.<p>

"I know how you feel." Alya replied from the other window, sitting on her cell bed with her hands under her chin. "Have you heard the news?"

"News? No I haven't what's going on?" Elrya queried.

"There's been an escape at the Head Facility, someone named Lucy killed over a dozen armed soldiers and made it out. Kind of surprising isn't it?"

"That's incredible." Elrya silently exclaimed wondering how such a thing was even possible, she couldn't even imagine trying to escape from here and yet this Lucy had gone and killed over a dozen people and escaped herself. "She must be incredibly powerful." She said mostly to herself though Alya answered anyways.

"True, it gives you some hope doesn't it?"

Elrya nodded once, smiling despite herself and wondering how Lucy had escaped and not knowing that the facility Lucy was stationed in was nowhere near as defensive oriented as the one she was in. "Alya…"She said solemnly while the young girl looked up at her. "I'm making a promise right here and right now. I promise no matter what happens I will escape and I'll make everyone who ever hurt me pay for their crimes. These doctors, scientist, Garder, Kakuzawa all of them who would dare hurt me or my kind will pay."

"Oh?" Alya exclaimed with a small smile on her face. "That's a brave statement Elrya."

"I promise…" She whispered "…That this pain will not go on forever."

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><p>Unfortunately much to Garder's detestation, capturing Lucy proved a task definitely easier said than done. When he heard about the SAT members that had failed to retrieve the woman, he furrowed his brows. Would it have hurt the Head Director to give the soldiers more knowledge on what vectors were capable of doing? He knew that Bando, the leader of the group was a competent soldier and had he and the others been given more precise information may not have ended up like bloodstains on the floor. Sometimes he had to resist the urge to go out and actually get Lucy himself, just to have everyone else shut up about her.<p>

Kakuzawa may have had power, wealth and control but he lacked tactical abilities and skill that he, Garder had attained through countless battles. The old man acted without caution, running across an open highway without looking or thinking because he believed that as the man on top what did he have to fear? Garder certainly had fear, he was afraid of being hurt, he was afraid of being lost, he was afraid of dying. He held the same emotions as any other person, what made him distinct was his ability to control his own fears. He was afraid of dying, so what does one do? They live. He didn't want to die, he wanted to live but if he died what else could he worry about? If he died, he would no longer have to worry about earthly pains.

"Julius…"Garder spoke out in the room, pronouncing not the actual 'J' sound but instead a 'Y' pronunciation so that it sounded like "Yulius" instead. A long figured walked up, a man in his early 20s wearing white shirt and black pants, a red vest over his shoulders with light fur around the edges. He wore a large wide brimmed black hat that his features so that only his piercingly calm red eyes could be seen shining through the shade.

"…What should I do?" Garder finished while folding his hands on his desk, flexing his fingers and making his knuckles crack as he waited for an answer. "I don't believe Kakuzawa is underestimating Lucy." Julius replied hands in his pockets he mused things over in his head. "I believe he's worried about sending too much at Lucy and end up killing her instead of capturing her. He desires her to father Diclonius and become, as you know yourself a god of the Diclonius and ultimately the world."

"Yes he did rant on about that at the meeting." Garder answered back, thinking of his time at the conference in which Kakuzawa gave a heartfelt and absolute bullshit exclamation on how he was the King and that they were to obey him no matter what. Some of them with family and friends were instantly shut up, some out there who actually agreed with Kakuzawa and then there was him, Garder, who didn't give a flip either way. The madman's regime was hardly a surprise to the higher ups like Garder and the other regional directors but Kakuzawa again had control and even if he had to kill their families (something that he was more than capable of doing considering his wealth) nobody ever went against him.

Julius continued. "I believe that Kakuzawa doesn't want to put out too much on Lucy and risk killing her, now that the soldiers have failed he'll probably slowly start building up on artillery and send in bigger guns to capture her.

"I see, thanks for the information and while I'd rather not have to deal with this problem, I have a feeling that we'll have to get involve with Lucy ourselves."

"And if we do…" Julius inquired. "…Do you want to kill or capture her?"

"I will let you decide that when and if you must meet her. You are obviously a special case here, Diclonius #0 Julius Javel.

The young man took his hand and brought his hat down, holding it on his chest so that his deep pink hair hung in strings around his face, at point obscuring his eyes, his white horns visible upon his scalp. "I do wish you would not call me that." He uttered stepping up to Garder's desk who calmly watched as he glared into the red eyes of the Diclonius. Likewise Julius did the same so that the two seemed to be having an eternal battle of some sort in the mind.

"For someone who is afraid, you show surprisingly little fear." Julius suddenly said.

"I fear a lot of things, but I am also capable of acceptation and you should learn to do the same."

"Interesting." Julius replied stepping back and the tension died down and replacing the hat back on his head and heading out the door. "Oh one more thing Julius, give Cents a call and tell him to get the others prepared in case the problem turns out more troublesome than we first thought."

"I will do so, though you know how Cents is, he only follows his own orders and his own belief and you know exactly what the belief is." The Diclonius muttered coldly.

"I know…Vladimir Cents…has absolutely no moral values whatsoever." Garder responded back as he watched Julius leave.


	3. Specialty Offer

**Chapter 3: Specialty Offer**

Waking up for the next day, Elrya's body ached but as point had been made her wounds were hardly a problem anymore as she got out of the bed and stretched her arms and legs, careful not to put too much pressure on her body especially her ribs. She walked around her little cell, kicking the walls and pressing vectors against them knowing that due to their specific properties she couldn't push her vectors through them. "Alya are you there?" She asked looking at the other separate cell; Alya wasn't there so she assumed her friend was in on her experimentation session. Kicking back against the bed, she sighed deeply gazing up at the ceiling with a blank look upon her face.

"Now that my body has healed up enough, they'll start putting me in the chamber again. Great 280 joules coming my way again, and that's if they decide to be nice." She said aloud. "Escaping is out of the question, I really hate to admit but they have me trapped here. I don't know how Lucy managed to do it but I can't do it like she did. What can I do? What can I possibly do?"

"Elrya?"

"Oh, hi." She answered back to the Head Guard who opened the doors stepping inside and standing over her with his arms crossed. "How are you doing today Elrya?" He asked in his deep voice, giving a quick flick of his head to move the partial side of his hair out of his face.

"It's not like I can complain any more than I could before. You know if there weren't humans like you, I wouldn't think there would be anything worthy about your species." She said partially because of arrogance and partially due to the fact that she was truly glad that not every single human out there was a beast. "Oh Alya's back I didn't even hear her return." She piped suddenly going to the window and talking to her friend. The Head Guard, Vorono Girikuson watched with narrowing eyes as Elrya went to the window, watching her closely. When she was done speaking, she came over, sighed again and said "Well, let's get going…"

* * *

><p>Walking out of the chamber while Elrya went through her daily experimentation, Vorono went to the Director's main office, sliding his card key into the door was walked in on an entire group with Garder sitting stoically at his desk his eyes hidden behind the gleam of his glasses. "Welcome to the party 4 Cents Vorono." A snide male said at the corner, a thin lad in his late 20s sporting baggy jeans and no shirt so that his muscles were clearly defined and visible. His hair was unnaturally blue and streaked passed his head except for a single strand that fell down just over his left eye. A single scar ran across his face that only made his grin all the more heinous. "How's the little girl…? Doing all fine after she got the crap kicked out of her a week ago? You've really attached yourself to her."<p>

"That's quite enough." A woman's voice broke out. The person in question a lady with streaks of her black hair dripping over her shoulder although the top of her head had been slightly shaved so that it was much shorter than the rest of her hair. The woman wore a short two piece black outfit, revealing her midriff that held a small silver ring in her navel. Perhaps her most unique aspect was the fact that she kept her right eye entirely closed so that it seemed she was in a perpetual wink.

"Sorry…sorry…sorry." The man replied lazily waving his hand absentmindedly.

Julius's hat upon his head stood with his arms crossed at the corner nodding his head at Vorono as he entered and then they all turned to Garder who looked at each one with perfect seriousness. "So shall I begin…Vladimir?"

In the very shadows, his figure hidden beyond the shadow although his figure was already rather massive enough was a person where though perhaps the shadow was hiding his figure completely it did not hide the stream of white of the wicked smile that passed over his face. As the darkness vanished, the figure came into view. A relatively well-proportioned man who was wearing quite the outfit. He wore a thick onyx coat in which he only put one of his arms in the sleeves, letting the other hang limply at the side. The man's hair was thick shade of blonde cut extremely short at the back while the bangs barely covered the eyes. Thick jeans with a thick tear at the right knee and perhaps the most startling of his figure, thin needles that stuck into his left shoulder and even more bizarrely in the very back of his neck, making him look like a voodoo doll. The eyes on his face could hardly be qualified as a human, a mad glint and a devilish smile that would make even Satan cry tears of fear.

"Go right ahead…Garder…" He hissed and one might have wet themselves in fear by the mere look Vladimir was giving Garder. The Director himself didn't even flinch but only pushed his glasses up his nose. "Lucy has escaped from the Head Facility." He said sternly while all the others but Julius narrowed their eyes suspiciously. "You mean "The" Lucy, the Queen herself?" The woman said sternly while pulling out a small pocket watch out. "You'd have thought that Kakuzawa would keep things better prepared when regarding her." The woman chided softly while the young man laughed next to her.

"Kakuzawa, that idiot couldn't follow a light on the ground much less keep his facility running. But what do you care about him or Lucy Garder, they aren't a threat to you?"

"Perhaps not, but Kakuzawa is sure to ask for my help in capturing her."

"We don't do captures…" Vladimir said distastefully, I lead mercenaries, killers of the sorts to rip and tear apart people for money, glory, pain, wonder and all the sorts. We. Do. Not. Capture."

"Nor do I expect you too. No actually I have something else for you to do, but not yet. I merely collected you all here to have you all ready. Don't worry I will not keep you waiting."

"Great! Killing is such a fine thing isn't it…Garder?" Vladimir Cents said wickedly. "Name the person, name the price, name the location and we'll kill them. Whoever stands in the way, we'll kill them. Whatever comes across, we'll kill it. No rules, only reactions. Quite splendid. Every single one of us is an expert killer, be it human or inhuman.

Five cent Roy Synth, The Sniper (The young male smiled snapping his fingers at the mention of his name, turning his hand around to reveal a silver coin with a five on it etched upon it.)

Four cent Vorono Girikuson, The Tank (The Head Guard nodded once lifting his head so that the same kind of silver coin could be seen emblazed on his neck just a bit above the sternum, a four on this one.)

Three cent Orlana Zeruda, The Clock stopper (The woman tilted her head to the side looking at the leader and opening her closed eye to reveal a silver coin where her eye would've been, a three upon it.)

Two cent Julius Javel, The Zero Point (The Diclonius sighed and removed his hat and parted his pink hair, revealing the number two coin on his forehead)

One cent Vladimir Cents, The Incorrigible." (At that the man heaved and opened his mouth so that his dark smile widened and his tongue slipped out revealing his own coin with the single number one on it.

"Good, I will again contact you all when I am ready. You may leave." Garder answered back, motioning them out which they did, the leader chuckling under his breath. Vorono stood behind to talk to Garder. "Elrya has been talking to Alya again, how long are you going to keep waiting?"

"Just a little longer, just a little longer." Garder replied solemnly.

* * *

><p>Returning back to her room with fresh new wounds, though luckily no broken bones this time Elrya plopped on her bed again hating humans more and more. "Yen for your thoughts?" Alya asked after knocking on the window and getting her friend's attention. "What do you do to go through all this? Is there even a point to all of this pain?"<p>

"I couldn't say, but if you keep to your promise, no matter how long it takes you can make things right." Alya replied with a small smile. "Just remember this Elrya, don't ever let these humans crush your dreams or your rights. You're a good person and much stronger than you're letting on."

"Maybe…" Elrya said mildly. "…But I'm nowhere as strong as you, I'm pretty weak as it is."

"Hey now don't say things like that. So maybe you're vectors aren't the longest, or the most numerous or even the strongest, but there's one thing you have that none of the Diclonius here have. Conviction. As long as you hold on to your conviction, nothing will ever be able to beat you. Don't ever give it up." Alya said happily, banging her fist on the window which Elrya, with an exasperated smile repeated banging against the glass as well.

* * *

><p>3 days later<p>

"I see, so even Number Seven failed at capturing Lucy too huh Chief Kurama? Very well then I understand the situation, Lucy has proven herself far too problematic than first thought, I will see what I can do. Yes I understand the situation Kurama; I will be over there in a few hours and check up on the situation completely, goodbye."

Hanging up Garder pushed his horned rimmed glasses up his nose and getting into a black car drove off to the docks of Kamakura which would take him to the specific island. Upon arriving he was contacted by Chief Kurama and Shirakawa who stood near the back with one hand over her arm as if nervous. Garder often got this kind of result when he came in; next to the Diclonius themselves (and Kakuzawa if they had an inkling of what was truly under that hair) Garder was perhaps the most inhuman thing to come on the island. Fearless slit eyes and a perpetual frown that seemed to keep even some of the Diclonius docile, someone like Shirakawa wondered how anyone could be in such an environment and not at least express a shiver.

The Head facility was just as Garder has remembered it, clean, white and surrounded by scientist. The Diclonius cells were located at the very bottom in the basement and knew this not only because he had been here multiple times but also because of his rather unique ability. It wasn't something that only he could do; it was just something only he had attempted to master and in fact was one of the few people in the world who even knew about it. What does one do when they can't see an invisible enemy, like a sniper in ambush ready to kill a person without a moment's hesitation? It had become rather important in the war to know where snipers were and obviously walking out in the open and searching wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do.

Hearing.

Listening.

Garder has the unique ability honed to perfection to detect specific sound waves that most humans ignore and never practice with to understand. Vectors had a unique sound wave when moving, not like the brushing of wind but like thin static. At the moment of death, when a vector is ready to slice a person in half or decapitate them, they may hear a small sound like the rubbing of a balloon on a fiber carpet. If one listened to it, and concentrated it they could hear this sound completely and for 20 years Garder had mastered this ability.

Gazing upon the ground as he walked through the hall, another quick thought came to him. "Kurama, that secretary of yours, Kisigari, where is she?"

"She's dead, Lucy killed her." Kurama muttered. Garder didn't continue the subject. At one point, after turning a corner, the spectacle director stopped making the other two look over at him in confusion. Glaring down at the floor, he narrowed his eyes, hearing the static sound of many vectors whipping around in a single place. It wasn't the many vectors of many Diclonius though; it was the unnatural number belonging to a single one.

"Is something wrong?" Shirakawa asked.

"No." Garder said after a moment before thinking to himself. _"Quite a powerful one, to hold that many vectors for such a small body. I will have to keep myself on guard in case you get out of hand…Number 35."_

After another turn they arrived at a small room that might've been a lounge as sofas were sprawled out everywhere with a microwave at the back and a fridge near the side. The three people walked inside and each took their separate spots, Garder crossing his legs and folding his hands together. "I'll cut to the chase and won't bother with small talk anymore. You want me to get Lucy for you."

"Correct." Kurama stated matter of fact.

"I do have an idea of sending another Diclonius, one who unlike Number 7 is more willing to kill if necessary."

"But we don't want Lucy killed…only captured." Shirakawa interrupted. "That's why we sent Number 7 to…"

"And what exactly happened to Number 7?" Garder asked strictly. Shirakawa instantly went quiet. "I will have one of my Diclonius head out and find Lucy herself. Unless of course you think you have another Diclonius that can handle Lucy."

Kurama and Shirakawa looked at each other and shook their heads, knowing full well that Mariko was the last person they wanted to send due to her unpredictable nature. "Then I will get things straightened away and will make contact with you later on. Goodbye."

* * *

><p>"What do you people want?" Elrya demanded viciously seeing a group of people come up, none of which she liked at all. "My experimentation is over for the day, unless you didn't get enough out of beating my body and watching me nude, sick humans." She hissed under her breath. While she wouldn't have liked them anyways, today's experimentation had been rather painful and she was still a bit miffed about it.<p>

"#90, Elrya…." Garder spoke out, walking up to the window while the young girl narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?" She demanded.

"Garder F. Morotisan."

"So he's the guy." Elrya thought. "The director of this facility, what does he want with me?"

"I have a job for you, a very special one at that. You may have heard through the grapevine that Lucy from the Head Facility escaped nearly a week ago and evaded capture. We are sending you to find her."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"It means that, under careful observance of course, you will be allowed to leave the facility and search for Lucy under your own free will. You will be given clothes, money and other essentials as well as a tracking device since obviously we won't just let you run free."

"No." Elrya said after careful thinking. "I would never do anything to help you filthy humans, especially try to capture another one of my kind. Even if I did do it, I would just have to come back here, naked and having iron balls thrown at my body and face again."

"Well then…how about I offer this. If you capture Lucy, I will see that you are set free." Garder replied, causing Elrya's eyes to grudging open wide before narrowing again. "Why should I believe you?" She said sternly.

"You can't, anything I say could be a lie to get you going. However even if it was, what problem would there be? For the first time in years, you will be able to see the outside world, even if it's for a short time, it is still better than nothing." Garder relied back with the same emotionless tone as before. He had her there, even if it was for a short time, to get out of this damn facility, was something most would die for.

"I have one condition." Elrya said looking over at the window. "If I go, Alya needs to come with me."

"Very well." Garder agreed. "Get some sleep, rest for tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Sitting at his desk again, silently mulling things over in his head he made a quick call to a certain person. "Hello Orlana…I need your assistance." Hanging up, he waited a few minutes until 3 cents Orlana Zeruda stepped in her revealing outfit right eye closed to conceal her 3rd etched coin. "You don't usually call me in on such late hours Mister Zero. I heard you gave the go for Elrya to find Lucy, even though you know she doesn't have a chance against her."<p>

"No, that's the entire point of sending her after all. If Elrya was to meet Lucy, she would most certainly be killed."

"Indeed, so instead of doing it yourself, you send the poor girl on a failure's mission. That is quite cruel of you Mister Zero." Orlana said swiftly picking out her watching and tinkering with it while Garder answered with a glaring look of darkness in his eyes that even the gleam of his glasses couldn't hide. "I am doing what I believe is right."

"You are afraid of doing it yourself. You can take on entire armies and run through battlefields untested. But when it comes to a single girl, you are afraid." Orlana said austerely crossing her arms and kicking her right leg back so that she leaned against the wall. "And what if Elrya doesn't fail, what if she does find or even kills Lucy? I, Vorono and Julius all know why you sent Elrya out to find Lucy, so that she could die. What will happen if the off chance that Elrya survives the Cent members? What will you do if, even if it is impossible to believe, she somehow gets passed Vladimir? Admit it Garder, you can't keep hiding from your fears like this."

"That's enough!" Garder yelled back, trying to keep his composure. "I do things as I see fit and will not have you questioning them, Three Cent Orlana Zeruda!"

"I apologize I spoke out of line. Now I believe you wanted me for something, besides this conversation?" The woman asked.

"Yes, Elrya has asked that Alya be sent with her."

"So she's been talking to Alya again and you want me to use the Stopper again." The woman replied while lifting up her pocket watch.

"Elrya's chances against Lucy are slim but Alya's chances are much greater. But if Alya would be allowed out in the open, the threats could be catastrophic." Garder said. At that Orlana nodded once and left heading over to Elrya's cell where the girl slept silently. She gave a quick glance to Alya's cells and pulled out her watch.

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: The story continues as Garder allows Elrya to leave the facility to search for Lucy, however it appears that the director has other things in store for Elrya. Meanwhile five assassins have been called by Garder headed by their less than sane leader Vladimir Cents. Meanwhile what is the history behind Elrya's friend Alya? Stay tuned for the next chapter of Pinpoint Lifeline<p>


	4. Killer Instinct Search

**Chapter 4: Killer Instinct Search**

"Ow!" Elrya jerked her head back, attempting to relax herself in case she ruined the whole deal and sliced up the barbers working on her hair. "Be careful with those things will you? You nearly cut off my ear!" She yelled making most of the people back up a few steps. "S-sorry about that, please just a little longer and well…"One of the barbers said, whom also happened to be a secondary scientist while the others kept their distance even though they knew Elrya wouldn't be stupid enough to attack them. In the facility Elrya's hair had grown way past her shoulders and even down as far as near her bottom. While in the facility this hardly mattered, they thought it would be detrimental if she kept it that long. She looked at the ground where her bare feet dangled, wondering why they decided to keep her nude even while they cut her hair. She decided to think of it as perversity and just chalked it up as one of the many things that made humans a sickening race as she knew well enough some of the people who saw her in the facility had disgustingly hungry looks in their eyes.

Sitting on a seat, already clothed was Alya who sat with a disgruntled look on her face and kept giving sideways glances. No wonder, as she was sitting right next to Garder whom when considering the fact he was well in kill range of what was one of the most dangerous Diclonius in the facility he was remarkably calm.

"You know you could have at least clothed her human, I know you like demeaning her but still, nude while cutting her hair. Are you getting your kicks off watching her like that?" Alya spat viciously. Garder didn't even look at Alya much less reply back. Elrya huffed, disliking the fact that Garder would dare ignore her friend like that, even if it Alya was basically insulting him, not that she had a problem with that. "Alya's right…" The young Diclonius said angrily. "Why don't you have answer her, do you like seeing me naked, does it make you feel better?" She knew perhaps she shouldn't be speaking like this as Garder could cancel her mission but if he went so far as to pick her out himself to do the mission anyways, then a little insults couldn't hurt, especially the abuse she and Alya had been through for so long.

"Alya…"Garder answered still looking at Elrya all the same. "If you do not shut up…I will break your neck."

"AH!" Elrya widened her eyes and saw Alya do the same a vector emerging from her back, shaking but after a moment dying down. "You have no right to say that to her." Elrya growled.

"Sir wh-…?" The one cutting Elrya's hair said before being silenced by a deep glare by Garder.

"Alya, if you do not shut up…I will break your neck. Do you understand me?"

"Tsk…fine then." Alya muttered coldly, knowing that either way she was beaten. Elrya growled under her breath, hating Garder but also knowing that he had won either way, even if his threats were empty ones. As cutting Elrya's hair was going to take a while Garder stepped outside where Julius stood against the wall with a calm look in his red eyes, signature hat over his head. "You seemed worried Garder, care to talk about it?" The Diclonius asked flexing his shoulders so that the fur on his clothes ruffled.

"It's Alya…she's even stronger than I thought. Her effect on Elrya is so strong that I fear her presence could over shadow Elrya. I had Orlana come and use her specialty on Elrya and Alya and for now Alya's powers are being suppressed."

"I understand, what is the problem with Alya though?" Julius asked.

"Alya is dangerous, without a single regard to humanity whatsoever. If it wasn't for Elrya herself who could suppress Alya's tendencies, Alya would kill every human that came her way. While she may not be the most powerful of the Diclonius, her killing instinct is almost as great as Vladimir's own. She's also been growing at an astounding and if left unchecked she could truly be a threat."

"Orlana told me, you have no intentions of having Elrya…or Alya…" He added. "…In capturing Lucy, you want Lucy to kill the two.

* * *

><p>Elrya checked out her figure in the mirror, trying not to get disgusted with the scars and looked at her now shoulder length hair. "Well it's not terrible I guess." She thought to herself as she walked out of the small little room and despite years of being in the facility she covered up her front just because she could see that sickening hungry looks again. She was then given a blue shirt and red skirt, rather simple but considering this was the first time in literally years she had worn clothes she wasn't about to complain one bit. "Now #90, please hold out your arm." The doctor muttered pulling out a syringe and making Elrya recoil.<p>

"What are you doing?" She demanded.

"It's a tracking device so that you won't run away."

"Oh you don't trust me?" Elrya mocked. "Just hold still…"The doctor mumbled, clear sweat running down his face. Elrya liked this, it showed that the human feared her, as well they should. Biting back a moan she felt the needle go in and the tracking device was inserted before she went, for the first time since forever, outside. "Ah…" She groaned shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight and slowly opening her eyes. "I forgot how bright the sun was…" She muttered, nodding over at Alya who she was surprised was looking directly at the sun. "You shouldn't stare it Alya, it could hurt your eyes."

"Oh? Sorry Elrya it's just been…so long since I've seen it." She mumbled with a smile. Stepping out, pushing his glasses up his nose as customary Garder came to give them direct instructions. "The last place that Lucy was seen was at a cemetery where she fought Number Seven and was later seen heading west from there. You will be dropped off in that area and will be given free search…along with Alya…to search for Lucy. I don't think I need to make any clarification that you are not to kill anyone…especially humans."

"…Alright." She mumbled.

"Lastly, you are to give weekly reports of what you are doing, if you do not find Lucy within a month, we will call off the mission and you will be returned back here."

"And what if I do find her, and capture her?" Elrya asked her eyes glaring into Garder's slits who gazed upon her with the same ferocity. "If…you capture her…" He paused glaring at her even more strongly than before. "…I will see that you are granted full pardon from the facility. In other words, you will be set free."

With that Elrya smirked. "And Alya too right?"

"Of course." Garder answered back. "The helicopter is ready farewell."

Elrya and Alya sat at the back, looking out the window with wide eyes that showed that, despite her maturity, they were still young girls ecstatic with seeing the outside world. They saw the dreaded facility passing by, and the mere thought of no experimentation made their bodies shakes with happiness. Elrya's bright red eyes glistened with joy of finally having, if just for a short time, some freedom in the outside world and she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Below standing at the base of the facility was Garder, watching as the helicopter disappeared over the horizon. Once it disappeared he vanished back inside while the members of Cents, minus their leader looked overhead.

"Good luck little girl…the winds of fate are on your side for now. Enjoy that that splendid feeling of joy." Roy muttered with a dark smile pointing his finger at where the helicopter was like a gun and pretending to fire.

"Good luck, right now you have no idea what lies in store for you. So please, enjoy this moment of happiness for the rest of your life." Vorono thought sadly.

"Good luck girl, you're going to need it." Orlana muttered the gleam of light hitting her right eye as she opened it.

"Good luck Elrya and Alya, keep holding onto your conviction." Julius thought sternly, pushing his hat down his head so that his entire face was obscured.

Inside the facility, sitting alone in the shadows, Vladimir chuckled menacingly to himself. "Good luck…Elrya…and you too Alya. I look forward to seeing just how strong you two are. Maybe we'll meet one day, and when we do…"

A wide grin spread over his face.

"I'll snap your necks!"

* * *

><p>"We're arriving on the spot, get ready." The announcer spoke out. "Don't bother landing…" Elrya stated holding onto the door latch. "Eh? We're over 800 meters in the sky, we can't…WHOA!" The pilot roared out as with a quick pull of her vectors Elrya ripped open the door, letting the wind blow against her face. "She gazed down at the small area of the cemetery and with a smile she and Alya jumped out, soaring into the sky with cries of joy. "Yeah! This is awesome!" Elrya roared with delight flexing her ghostly hands out and with a loud explosion landed on the ground, her vectors slowly her fall and keeping her safe while she saw Alya land right next to her.<p>

"What a rush!" Elrya yelled literally back flipping with her vectors and landing lithely on her feet. "I'm out! I'm out! I'm out! This is absolutely amazing!" She nearly cried tears of joy as she suddenly began running around the cemetery, jumping up and down and yelling with delight. "Alya…tell me if I'm dreaming. The world, the sun, I can hardly remember it and yet now it's all so clear!"

"You're right…" Alya replied simply, leaning against one of the tombstones and smiling up to the sky. "Whoo! Alright Elrya let's get going, Lucy isn't going to come to us and she won't make it easy on us even if we do find her."

"Ha! With us together, Lucy doesn't stand a chance." Elrya yelled, skipping around with such utter delight at finally being free. "Alright then, let's go!"

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Elrya and Alya have set out to find and capture Lucy, but it is made quite clear by Garder that he has no intentions of letting either of them live. Meanwhile Vladimir and his members wait for the orders to kill Elrya and Alya themselves. With Lucy in one area, Garder in another, and the members of cents wrapping around them. It would seem that death is the only thing awaiting the girls. Yet they hold on to their conviction, and head out into a world that has a lot to offer. Where will their journey lead them? Find out on the next chapter of "Pinpoint Lifeline."<p> 


	5. No Luck All Luck

**Chapter 5: No Luck All Luck**

"You know what's strange?" Elrya proclaimed after an hour of walking around in what was mostly circles, her happy demeanor being replaced by absolute boredom. "I can't sense Lucy's presence at all. Nothing, not a thing. The only presence I feel is our own."

Alya nodded at her friend's answer looking around until she too decided that, as much as she concentrated and searched, not an inkling of even the weakest Sipilet could be found, much less someone as powerful as Lucy was claimed to be. Elrya once again concentrated, searching for even the minutest Diclonius signature. "Where did that woman go, damn you'd think someone who killed dozens of people and soldiers so easily would be rather easy to find." Alya muttered while flexing her fingers so that they popped noisily in her ears. "Well hey, we've got a week until we got to report to the old bastard, let's have some fun first." Elrya cried out before a thought of something came to her. "W-wait a minute…we don't have any money and we can't go out in the open because of our horns. Huh what's this?" Elrya stated before questioning something in the pocket of her skirt and picking out a black radio-like device. While Alya quizzically looked over Elrya's shoulder, a message already set began to play.

"_This will be the location where you are to report back to once a week to give your report. Each day provisions for food and water will be given here. Therefore you have not been given money; your mission is finding Lucy, not to play around. There will also be a small sleeping tent for you to rest in that will be given tonight at this designated place."_

"Son of a bitch!" Elrya screamed breaking the object into several pieces and hissing under her breath. "Just when I thought I could get out and move a bit, he goes and does that. Doesn't he realize that it's not going to help us if we can't go out in public?"

"Who cares…" Alya muttered smiling and doing another flip with her vectors just because she could. "This doesn't mean we can't go outside and look around and besides if one of these apes gives us trouble we'll…" she thought for a moment. "…Give them a little taste of some medicine, if you know what I mean."

"Hahaha! You're right Alya, what am I getting so worried about. Besides I'm not going to let that old bastard ruin any of the fun I can have right now. Still it might be a good idea to start looking for the woman anyways, the sooner we find and get to the facility, the sooner we are free. Come on, let's go check out the beach, that's where Lucy first came after she escaped from the facility, it would be best to start there." Elrya proclaimed.

* * *

><p>Kamakura beach was bright yellow as the sun made the sand dazzle beautifully. The clear crystal ocean splashed against the two Diclonius' feet as they searched but mostly just enjoyed themselves. "The water is so cold but great, I can't believe how much I've missed out on this." Elrya exclaimed jovially looking around. "The beach is clean; too clean really I've heard a lot of trash is often accumulated here. There's nobody here either, well it is nearing dawn people are probably inside anyways."<p>

"No sign of Lucy huh?" Alya called out.

"Nope, nothing at all. Not really surprising, she wouldn't be dumb enough to stay here anyways but…"

*BANG!*

Before she knew it, a harsh blow slammed into her cheek, blowing her straight off of her feet and making her land on her back in the watery sand. "Ow! Did I just get shot?" She moaned clutching her bleeding cheek and looking up. "E-Excuse me?" She mumbled, seeing the haughty coated figure of Bando, sunglasses perched on his face and one very dangerous Desert Eagle pointed directly at her head.

"Well…well…well. What's that on your head…girl?"

"Wh-who are you?"

*BANG!*

She tried to deflect the shot and found herself face to face with her very first Tungsten bullet. The hands couldn't do anything, and the bullet slammed across her shoulder sending her tumbling across the sandy shores again. "Ah! Are you freaking insane man!" She shrieked clutching her shoulder.

"Shut the hell up…you horned freak. Do you think I'm stupid or something? You're one of those bitches…Diclonius." Bando uttered coldly while Elrya's eyes opened wide. "He knows about us?" She thought trying to get her thoughts back together. With a sudden rush of vectors from behind her, Alya attacked the man who suddenly jumped back, barely avoiding the hand that slammed into the ground, sending a wave of sand sky high. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Bando roared taking a few steps back. "Don't fuck with me girl." With that exclamation he began to fire rapidly at Alya whom with her stronger vectors managed to parry the powerful bullets away, leaving Elrya impressed and Bando mortified. Clutching his sunglasses, the burly man took a few steps back, not about to give up just yet.

"You've got some nerve attacking her." Alya muttered, leaving Bando with a confused look on his face. "What the hell?" He uttered taking another short step back as Elrya saw Alya take a step forward, the dark look of hatred burning her red eyes. "Another stupid human making problems for us again, you should've just stayed home." Alya growled, blood lust in her eyes.

The wind kicked up around Alya, blowing around the sand and Bando nervously took another step back, sweat dripping from his face. "Hey now…what the hell is going on with her now? What's this bad sensation I'm getting?" Though he was nervous, Bando's fighting intuition hardly diminished and his thoughts went into overdrive. The only reason he lost to that pink haired bitch before was because he didn't understand what a Diclonius was or could do, now was different. He would be damned if he was going to lose to another one even younger than the first! Taking the desert eagle, he popped open the cartridge and pulled from his pocket a single bullet, placing it in while Alya glared at him. "No matter what you do, you can't hurt me with such a simple weapon."

"You…best stop underestimating me bitch." Bando growled aiming and then firing. With almost simplistic effort, Alya caught the bullet, letting the still spinning ammo slowly die down and be left smoking. "Is that the best you've got?" She taunted surprised when she saw Bando smiling.

"Boom." He muttered before suddenly the bullet floating in Alya's vector exploded sending her flying across the beach and landing roughly on her side. "Ah! It exploded?" She gasped hearing the man's laughter from the other side. "Specialized Custom Explosive Bullet! Once the bullet is fired, it ignites the nitrogen fuel in the center of it, exploding after a few seconds!" Bando declared pulling out another one of the bullets, inserting it and aiming again at Alya. "I told you not to underestimate me. This isn't the first time I've fought one of you horned freaks!" As her friend was being hurt, Elrya sprang into action vectors swarmed around smacking into the sandy dunes while Bando desperately tried to avoid the strikes, firing rapidly at Elrya with another look of confusion in his eyes. "Damn! What the hell is up with her?" He thought, his bullets exploding around Elrya whom, unlike Alya, did not have strong enough vectors to stop the bullets. She saw the last bullet spiraling over to her forehead and closed her eyes, expecting death to wrap its cruel fingers around her far too soon for comfort.

"Are you fucking kidding me!" Bando roared outraged. "Don't worry Elrya, I'm here." Alya said, her vector clinging on to the bullet. "Get down!" She yelled, raising her vector and letting the bullet explode overhead. She as well as Alya was getting irked with this fight. "Listen up human, we don't have time fight you, we're looking for Lucy and…"

"Say what?" Bando questioned quickly. "That bitch! You know her!" He demanded instantly gun still aimed but for the first time it seemed a momentary cease fire had occurred. "Yeah listen...sir." Elrya added as if hoping it would calm him down a bit. "We were sent to find Lucy."

"We…?" Bando asked.

Rolling her eyes, Elrya pointed to herself and Alya, Bando only stared incredulously. Deciding that the girl in front of him was just insane, he then asked. "Somebody sent you…and your friend?"

"That's right." Elrya answered back tensing her body up again. "How do you know Lucy?" She asked.

"How!" He roared, pulling up his sleeve and flexing his mechanical fingers while pulling off his sunglasses, showing his yellow eyes. "That bitch ruined me! She tore off my fucking arm and gouged out my goddamn eyes! I had to get these shitty repairs and when I find that horned bitch, I'm going to fuck her up!"

Pretending to be shocked, Elrya made a mental note to thank Lucy later on. "Hey man, you already know that I'm a Diclonius and I already know that you're angry with Lucy, for good reason. Both of us want Lucy, so why don't we work together?"

"Bullshit, I don't need help, especially from some little brat like you."

"Damn you're obnoxious." Elrya muttered. "I'm looking for Lucy and you're looking for Lucy. Instead of killing each other…something I'll be sure to do myself after the shit you did to me." She added as an afterthought. "We could work together and find Lucy herself. Besides don't you have any pride, I didn't do anything to you and yet you attacked a young girl for no apparent reason, like a pedophile?"

Bando clenched his teeth, and glowered at her, his pride struck. "Alright…alright…alright. I…apologize." He muttered coldly, lowering his weapon and taking a few steps back in case the girl tried to pull another fast one on him. He pulled out a small slip of paper and placed it on the sand. "Damn it I hate you so much, you're the second person who's made me indebted to you." Bando thought savagely. "I have no luck at all…still…perhaps I shouldn't get so trigger happy. "

"What's the deal?" Elrya asked.

"It's not my style…" Bando choked on his own pride. "…To take advantage of little girls and…" He clenched his fist, trying to stomach the next words he was going to say. "…I was…wrong for attacking you without any reason. That's my number, if you ever find yourself in a bad situation, give me a call and I'll save your sorry ass. Consider it quite a gift…you damned horned freak. The thought of helping one of you pink haired freaks sickens me to no end." At that, Bando turned around, still trying to swallow the last bit of pride he had left and walking off. He laid the piece of paper on the ground not eve knowing that the girls couldn't read anyways.

"Oi!" He called out. "If you find that pink haired bitch Lucy as well, call me as well. Don't even think about fighting her."

While Bando leave Elrya stood there and then she and Alya collapsed on the ground breathing heavily. "What a day!" Alya proclaimed next to her friend, looking over at her. "Are you fine with those wounds?"

"Yeah, they aren't bad at all." Elrya replied sitting up on bottom and picking up the piece of paper with her vector. "I don't know if I should be happy or freaked out. Seriously that guy needs to take a chill pill. It's getting dark they should have our supplies back somewhere near the cemetery."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Bando leaned against his shack, pulling out one of his small cigarettes. "Damn….I'm getting too soft for my own good." And just as he was putting the lit cigarette into his mouth he heard a voice.<p>

"You're so silly Papa! S-silly!"

Bando stood, mouth agape as Nana stepped out of her tank, crying after reading the note on her breast.

"I swear it's like they're freaking breeding out of the ocean!" Bando exclaimed before pulling out his gun and walking over.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Not even a day has passed since Elrya and Alya left the facility and they've already gotten into some trouble. After a brief skirmish with the Ex-SAT soldier Bando, a moment of peace is delivered at the end. What's to happen next to young pink haired girls? Find out in chapter 6 of "Pinpoint Lifeline."<p> 


	6. Headaches

**Chapter 6: Headaches**

Bando once again sat inside the make shift shed, the moonlight gleaming so that the beach lit up with was a pristine silver glow. Sitting next to him wide eyed was Nana whom would not know that luck had been on her side that day. After Bando's little skirmish with Elrya and Alya, and the need to keep his pride and honor intact (coming to realize that blowing young girls with bullet holes wasn't exactly the best idea to promote honor or pride) Bando kept his cool and allowed Nana to talk. It was definitely far easier said than done, as for him, any girl that had horns reminded him of Lucy which of course reminded him of the utter ass kicking he was going to deliver the pink haired bitch. It had nearly gotten out of control when Nana had arrogantly claimed that not even a hundred men could stop her, much less the single soldier in front of her. Bando had replied with a single tungsten bullet, effectively shutting her up but as he thought of his last fight and his so called honor, he kept himself from pulling the trigger again. Besides he didn't need to put himself in another situation of debt entitlement.

"Listen kid, it's not like were friends or anything, I just decided not to blow a hole in your head." Bando growled believing that the Diclonius was getting far too close than comfortable. "Maybe not, but we do have a common enemy it'll be best if we work together."

"Bah! I work alone; I don't need some help from some little brat like you." Bando declared, causing Nana to flare her cheeks in annoyance. "Not like you could win on your own anyways…" She mumbled though Bando heard every word of it and hating to be underestimated he nearly threw a fit. "DON'T LOOK DOWN ON ME YOU BRAT!" He roared clenching his hands together less they reach for his gun and start the whole mess all over again. Nana seeing the rage got worried as well and began quickly apologizing which calmed the erratic soldier down. For the best of her own safety, Nana decided to just be quiet and look at the moonlight. After a moment she uttered, "The moon is really bright and shiny isn't it?"

"Sure…" Bando grumbled, looking up at it with his yellowed vision, only reminded of his pain that woman gave him and his revenge sinking in deeper. Then another thought came to him.

"Hey now you can't stay here." He said sternly seeing Nana's figure on the floor, head on her arm and eyes closed. "Oh come on you couldn't go to sleep that fast!" He yelled, but much to his chagrin Nana was already asleep, the night getting to her and the day's surprises taking its toll. Sighing and groaning into his mechanical hand, Bando walked out of the shed along the sandy beach. "Seriously…it can't get any worse." He muttered.

And then his mechanical hand fell into pieces.

"Damn it!"

* * *

><p>Yawning awake Elrya pushed the covers off of her and walked out of the tent that was stationed in the small wooded area near the cemetery. A small bundle of fruits and vegetables had been placed with the tent as well when they had returned from the beach, enough food for a week if they ate it slowly. Alya also stepped outside and with a sudden rush they both gasped and stumbled on their own feet. "D-Did you feel that?" Alya choked trying to keep her balance as Elrya did the same. "That was definitely a Diclonius but why couldn't we sense it…?"<p>

"Who cares!" Alya interrupted smiling widely. "The only Diclonius here should be Lucy, it has to be her."

"You're right, let's follow the signature." Without a single moment of hesitation the two girls rushed off.

"Expect a fight, it's not like she's going to calmly come with us." Alya muttered seriously running alongside her friend with quick haste. "We'll need to keep on guard, knock her out as soon as possible and contact Garder. Remember she killed over a dozen soldiers in the facility easily."

"I know, I've got your back." Elrya replied Alya nodding her approval. They rushed through a small little shop, running so fast that most people only saw blurs of pink and just imagined it as young girls playing around, and by the time someone did a double take of seeing horns, the girls had already passed a corner and vanished. They couldn't risk losing the signature now because there was no way of knowing when it would reappear. "It's getting stronger…we're almost…" Elrya began.

*BAM!*

Turning a corner too tightly and looking behind her to see where Alya was, Elrya smashed into a dead end, stars twinkling in her eyes and losing consciousness on the spot.

* * *

><p>"Hey are you alright? Girl! Girl!"<p>

Elrya moaned clutching her forehead. "A-Alya?" She mumbled slowly her eyes still twinkling and her head throbbing even more. "Ouch...!" She groaned trying to pick herself up and pushed gently but still forcibly back down. "H-Hey!" She yelled opening her eyes wide and seeing not her friend but a young man perhaps 20 years of age with short black hair wearing a white collared shirt and blue jeans. "You shouldn't exert yourself; you're bleeding pretty badly right now. What happened?" He asked.

She didn't have time to mess with this human but stopped when he placed a rag on her forehead, wiping it and she shuddered when she saw the thick amount of red on it. "Damn, I hit that wall harder than I thought." She said to herself. "What do you think happened, I hit the wall." She uttered coldly, causing the man to rear back a bit in alarm. He hadn't expected her answer to be so harsh. "I'm sorry." He said quickly while looking up at the two bumps on her head, it didn't go past Elrya and her red eyed glare became even more severe. "Do you have a problem with my horns?" She hissed, attempting to keep herself under control.

"I-I'm sorry I was just surprised that's all." He said honestly, genuinely curious but seeing the rather frightening look in her eyes, looked at her face instead. "Here let me help you up, be careful."

"I don't need your help human." She growled pushing him away and getting up too quickly making her head throb again. "Gah!"

"See, I told you to take it easy." He chided gently pushing her against the wall and putting the rag back on. "I'm surprised you're even conscious right now, you really need to relax and take it easy."

"Shut up…" Elrya hissed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything bad, what's wrong?"

She glowered at him, hating him for the soul reason that humans to her were a filthy disgusting race that had made her life hell. "You wouldn't understand." She muttered cruelly. He seemed momentary shocked, wondering why she was so angry and to make her feel a little safer took a step back and lowered himself onto one knee so that he was level with her. "I'm sorry if I made you angry." He apologized. "I didn't mean to make you angry or uncomfortable."

She turned her head away. "Where's Alya?" She asked.

"Who?"

"I had a friend; where is she?"

"I'm sorry you were the only one here, I didn't see anyone else when I found you." The young man answered back coaxing her to sit back down again. "You really need to rest, stop putting so much pressure on your body. If you overexert yourself right now you'll only fall unconscious again. Just relax and take it easy alright, I don't know why you're so angry but trust me, I won't hurt you." She starred at him with both hate and confusion because she couldn't tell if he was lying or not. She had heard the words "I won't hurt you…" many times in the facility and had felt blind pain the next moment. So why was he not hurting her now, as she expected from most humans and why did she actually believe him.

"If I mask ask, what is your name?" He asked.

"…Elrya." She replied softly looking at him with now with a mix look of curiosity and confusion. "That's a nice name, my name is Yin Sandersas, I was an exchange student from Europe and have been living here in Kamakura for about two years."

"Yeah…" She said half absentmindedly. "You're sure you didn't see anyone else around me?"

"Sorry, you were the only one on the ground." Yin answered back apologetically.

"Strange…" Elrya thought. "I can't sense Lucy which doesn't surprise me but I can't sense Alya either. I guess the best thing for me to do would be to head back to the cemetery, it's not like she would just go off without me."

"I'm going…" She uttered and then, swallowing she added a bit hesitantly. "…Thanks."

"I don't mean to impede, Elrya, but you still need to relax. You can't just rush off even to find your friend. Where is your family?" Yin realized that something was amiss when Elrya bowed her head and looked at the ground with a look of great sorrow. "I…don't have any family. They're all dead and…well I don't have a home either. Alya is the only family I have right now."

Yin looked at her intensely. "So you don't have any sort of home or family? Where did you get that dress, it looks brand new?" He asked wondering if she had stolen it of which while he may understand her predicament, he couldn't necessarily allow a thief to run a way. "I can't really talk about it, I didn't steal it if that's what you're thinking!" She exclaimed suddenly. "Besides…" She continued. "…I need to find my friend Alya, my head is alright it's just a bump." She exclaimed her eyes in avertedly trailing over to the bloody rag and suppressing a shudder. "Besides they've got me tracked, it's not like I can just leave without looking for Lucy. Besides he's just another one of those filthy humans, I shouldn't even care about him." She thought heavily.

But Elrya found herself growing attached to the man, whom besides Vorono, was the only human to ever show her genuine kindness.

"I need to look for my friend, just let me go."

"Alright, but I would be more than happy to give you a good home, you don't have to live out on the streets forever." Yin said forcing a gasp from the young girl. A home? A real home of warmth, care and hospitality? Could such a thing possibly exist in this cruel unforgiving world. She quickly pushed the thought aside and glared heavily at the ground again. "I don't need your help, and don't tell me those lies." She growled.

"Lies? I'm not lying, I would be more than glad to give you a good home besides it looks like you've had it rough even before you hit the wall." Yin uttered, looking at the blows on her cheek and shoulder. "I don't know what you're so angry about, most homeless people would be ecstatic about having a home to live in. There's no reason for you to be afraid or angry and more so there's no reason for you to make it any harder on yourself than necessary."

"It's nothing like that." She thought sadly. "I…really do want a good home, and good place to sleep and eat. I desperately want to live in a good place where I'm not hurt. But it would never work out, I could never be accepted." Elrya sighed. "It's impossible." She muttered.

"Why?" Yin asked.

"She looked up incredulously at him wondering why he was toying with her. "You know exactly why, don't act like you aren't sickened by them." She articulated resentfully pointing at her horns. "I know these things sicken you to no end! It's probably taking everything not to vomit how much of a demon I look like. Seriously just stop with your horrible lies they won't work on me!" She nearly screeched at the end. While her horns definitely surprised Yin he didn't think of them as disgusting much less belonging to a demon. Heck, after her outburst involving her horns last time he had completely ignored it and it didn't even think about them until she mentioned them just now. They were certainly unique but demonic? Hardly at all. Still it didn't take a genius to know that Elrya was genuinely upset about her horns and people looking at them and it made him wonder what kind of trouble or trauma she had gone through to make her so uneasy. She constantly referred to him as a human as if she wasn't one herself.

"Well listen, take it easy as I said and if you change your mind, I live on the outskirts of Kamakura at this location." He pulled out and wrote something on a piece of paper giving it to her. "Wow…another piece of paper." She thought mentally rolling her eyes. Never the less she shoved it down with Bando's number and got up, taking it easy just as he told her. No words were spoken as she walked off, having no intentions of seeing him again and deciding that later on tonight she would just crumble up the piece of paper and throw it away.

"I really wish…he wouldn't lie to me." She thought sadly.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another day another chapter as our adventure of Elrya and Alya continues and as if getting shot at wasn't bad enough, Elrya runs into a wall. Bad luck on her part. Worst of all she's lost her friend Alya but is being helped by a kind young man whom, for the first time that Elrya's ever known, doesn't seemed to be bothered by her horns at all. He's even shown her kindness that she's never expected from anybody but she can hardly trust him now. What will happen to Elrya next (Hopefully something good as her last two days haven't been that great to begin with) and what about Garder and the assassins? Many answers and many questions to be delivered next time on "Pinpoint Lifeline."<p>

Note: If a 20 year old man asks a 15 year old girl to "Come home with him." The cops should probably be called. Yin can get a way with it here.


	7. Lies Time Again

**Chapter 7: Lies Time Again**

Elrya arrived at the cemetery calling Alya's name out as loud as she could and trying her best to sense her Sipilet signature. Neither signature nor friend could be found and when Elrya found the tent empty as well she began to get extremely worried. "Why can't I even sense her? It isn't like she'd have run away or something so why? Why couldn't she find an inkling of Alya?

"Alya! Alya!" The young girl cried out again getting desperate now. Alya was after all the only friend she had, if she wasn't there, if she got lost what else could she do? She was the reason she never went absolutely insane, certainly she didn't betray her! "No!" Elrya screamed shaking her head furiously trying to get the thought out of her head. "Alya would never betray me, there's no way!" But the Diclonius knew that fretting around the cemetery wasn't going to bring Alya back and so the Sipilet took a deep breather and went back to the tent laying on her cot and thought deeply.

"Alya must have just gotten lost that's all. Let me just relax here; it'll be better than just searching for her and she coming here anyways. Yeah…" She thought resting her head on the soft cot and closing her eyes. She didn't fall asleep but she did let mind calm down and wander amongst her thoughts and then cringed when she suddenly thought of Yin. "Damn I can't get him out of my head; I mean why should I even care? He's just a human who wiped the blood off my forehead; the damn scientists do it too." But the difference was, Yin didn't bash the iron ball in her face, quite the opposite. She then thought, just for the briefest of seconds if she had feelings for a guy she knew for a total of about 10 minutes and then gave herself a brutal slap with her own vector. "I can't believe I'm even thinking about something like that, he's a human and I'm a Diclonius, even if I didn't hate all of them it would never work out anyways."

Sighing the young Diclonius got up and walked back outside, sensing nothing and growling under her breath. "Alya!" She cried out again her voice echoing amongst the trees. She just wasn't coming, Alya just wasn't around and the next thoughts that came across Elrya's mind was one of terror. What if something had happened to her friend? She knew well enough that if some bastard tried to mess with her out here she could easily handle them but what if the old man Garder set it up. She knew well enough that Garder had some defenses and she wondered if perhaps this had nothing to do with finding Lucy. But that couldn't be right, if Garder wanted them dead why go through the hassle of sending them on this mission? He may have been a bastard but he certainly wasn't an idiot. So what should she do now, perhaps wait for the supplies to come and talk to whoever came about what happened? That thought while reasonable at first shattered as another thought instantly came across her.

"I can't do that! If Garder finds out that I've lost Alya he may no longer think I'm capable of searching for Lucy. There's no way I'm going back to the facility but, if I stay here what can I do? Damn I hate this, Alya where in the world did you go?" Fretting intensely now Elrya began to sweat profusely and actually started to cry because if she lost her only friend what else could she do with her life? Freedom meant nothing if she was going to be trapped in the world with the hateful humans.

"Yin…" She thought suddenly remember the piece of paper in her pocket. "No! There's no way I'm going to see him, it'll just mean he was right and I did need his help. I won't ask that human for anything. Then again…if Alya's being hurt…then I can't just stay here and do nothing. Ah damn I can't believe I'm even thinking about it but I guess I do need his help. Oh…" She groaned taking the piece of paper out and then cursing herself. "Crap! I can't even read this thing!" Having been taken to the facility at a young age, while intelligent, Elrya's reading ability wasn't exactly the greatest thing on the planet. While she could recognize basic words on paper, she could hardly decipher what the address meant. This meant that human hating Elrya had to swallow her pride again and ask for help.

"Don't worry Alya, I'll find you."

* * *

><p>"Excuse me, I need some he-" Elrya began before the woman after giving a distasteful look at her horns slammed the door in her face. "Consider yourself freaking lucky woman." Elrya murderously stated, waving her vectors and heading to the next house. An old man came out, saw her horns and started throwing a random fit that for a moment Elrya thought he was having an epileptic fit. He ran into his house and much to the girl's shock began brandishing a knife, pushing her away and shutting the door again. The first two were expected, she had expected it after the third and even after the fourth, but she had to find he friend.<p>

"Oh come on you fools!" She shrieked viciously rushing across the street with her anger about to be unleashed at any moment. "Who cares if I've got some freaking horns on my head, I need to find my friend! I hate you all so much!" Cursing repeatedly under her breath, the Sipiliet stormed through the shopping area that she had last seen Alya had hoping to at least see Yin somewhere.

"Hey do you need some help?" A small voice asked from behind. Turning around, Elrya saw a young girl around the same age as her give her take a year. Her black hair had streaks of blonde in it, clearly self-administered and wore a black shirt and silver jeans. "Oh my, are those…" She began looking at Elrya's horns. "If you seriously have a problem with my horns, get away right now." She said angrily while adding mentally "While I can still suppress the urge to kill you all."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you I just didn't expect to see them. Really they aren't bad at all, I'm sorry." The girl exclaimed.

"Don't be so conceited, I won't let you people keep lying to me like this. I'd rather you just admit it that you think my horns are disgusting."

"But I don't! Seriously they're actually pretty cool but I really don't think they're nasty at all." The girl proclaimed waving her hands. "I saw you kept asking people for help and they kept shunning you. Horns or not, you shouldn't be treated like that."

"STOP LYING TO ME!" Elrya shrieked, grabbing the surprised girl by the scruff of her shirt and shaking her wildly. "I'm sick and tired of hearing everybody's lies about me."

Stepping back, the girl stared sadly at her before mumbling. "I'm sorry, but it's true. In fact I was hoping we could be friends."

She couldn't believe it, did they enjoy taunting her like this? She knew they were lying and yet they kept continuing this charade. Yin, this girl, they all hated her, they had to hate her she was a freaking Diclonius after all. The mere fact that she had horns was enough for them to hate her so why? Why the charade of lies? "I'm sorry…" The girl mumbled again seeing Elrya's eyes fill up with tears.

"Stop lying to me! Stop lying to me!" She roared as wetness plastered her face.

"W-Wait!" The girl called off, as Elrya, feeling painfully hurt at all these certain lies, turned and ran off, the young girl chasing off after her.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Alya's gone missing, everyone's treating Elrya like crap and things are just not looking good for the young Diclonius. Yet ou tof all the hate a glimmer of hope glimmers out in the form of a young girl the same age as Elrya. But unfortunately Elrya is positive that everyone is out to get her and that all this kindness is nothing but a sickening lie.<p> 


	8. Brutal Negotiations

**Chapter 8: Brutal Negotiations**

"D-Did I screw up or something?" Professor Kakuzawa muttered fearfully, seeing the cold glare of the nude horned woman in front of him. "I had the vaccine nearly ready but it's too soon right now. S-Shit!" He cursed taking a step back and flinching when one of his vials exploded violently behind him. He knew what that was, vectors were nothing to be trifled with and he was right in certain kill range for having his entire body ripped apart. It was something no man ever wanted to find himself in, the worst of all situations.

"They're finally back." Lucy said smiling, flexing her arms in front of her face. "Hm? Who are you?" She asked sternly seeing the unshaved man in his unbuttoned coat. It didn't take her long to realize that this man in front of her was going to rape her, well that wasn't going to happen. Sweating profusely Professor Kakuzawa swallowed nervously and put on a false smile. "I'm the one who helped you." He said raising his hand in defense. Lucy quizzically tilted her head, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. Seeing a chance at saving himself, Kakuzawa instantly began to blabber.

"I was the one who set you free from the facility. It was I who called that man and let his phone drop into your cell. I made several other plans to get you out but you managed to get past those idiots with only the first one. No surprise from the great Queen of the Diclonius herself." He added, hoping to gain her approval. "I understand that you might be confused of why I would help you. You don't deserve to be locked up, no far from it. You are an amazing woman, higher than all these foolish primates. They should be bowing down to you."

"You know, that you are one of these foolish primates as well." Lucy commented waving her vector unseen near Kakuzawa's throat. Grinning widely, Kakuzawa took his hair and roughly pulled it off. "I'm surprised you didn't notice it at first, I'm also a Diclonius." He declared, revealing his horns and feeling more confident. Now that he had proven himself the same species as Lucy, certainly she would trust him and most certainly allow them to be together. "I'm just like you Lucy, unfortunately due to breeding with humans, my bloodline has declined. These horns are the last things that make me part of the proud race that you are. But that can change! Lucy you are the Queen of the greatest race in the world, join with me and we can destroyed 150,000 years of idiotic Homo Sapiens. We can make a better world! A perfect world, you and me! A Lebensborn world!"

*Splat!*

Caught mid rant, Kakuzawa's head flew off his shoulders landing mundanely at Lucy's feet with the look of ecstatic shock on his face. His body stumbled back and forth before collapsing, blood spewing out of the neck wound and filling the room with the stench of fresh blood. "You really are an idiot…" Lucy mumbled picking out her clothes and placing them back on again. "…You are just like all the rest of the filthy human race. You should've just kept it in your pants and now you're dead, tsk, you idiot." Lucy walked out of the room, starring coldly and preparing to go somewhere else when a sudden voice caught her attention.

"Lucy…" Garder uttered sitting on one of the benches. Alarmed the Queen turned around and saw the man her vectors emerging suddenly. "Who are you?" She demanded instantly breaking the wall at Garder's right. The director didn't so much as blink an eye and said calmly, "My name is Garder F. Morotisan, director of the Northwestern Regional Institution of Human Evolution in Tokyo. I was ordered by Director Kakuzawa to capture you and return you to the facility."

"Well I'd hate to disappoint you…Mr. Director." Lucy said wickedly. "But I'm afraid I won't be going anywhere with you."

"No you won't." Garder replied, his casual attitude surprising Lucy. "In fact I'm actually here to talk negotiations with you. You see I have no intentions of giving you over to Kakuzawa, what I require is your assistance in killing a certain person. Her name is Elrya, a young girl of about 15 years old, a Diclonius like you."

Lucy stared at him and then burst out into demonic laughter. "God you really said something funny, I've never met anybody from the facility as stupid as you! You really think I'll just agree and start helping you, a director who made my life hell I'm sure in killing one of my own species. If this Elrya decides to attack me first then I'll deal with the brat."

"Perhaps I should clarify my statement." Garder answered back strictly. "I have you pinpointed on radar at my facility; your entire movements are being tracked thanks to the specialty of Julius Javel. I've had you in my grasp the moment you escaped but again I don't care about what the Head Director wants. You will find Elrya and attempt to kill her."

The Queen couldn't believe her ears, was this man really trying to order 'her' around?

"If you do not, then I will have no choice but to drag you back to the facility myself, be it alive or as a carcass. You don't think I can?" Garder asked seeing Lucy's incredulous look as if she was looking at the most idiotic person on the planet. "I have a better idea, Garder was it? How about you just die!" She shrieked her arm rushing towards his forehead, fingers outstretched ready to rip his brain apart and silence his mouth once and for all. The vector smashed into the wall as Garder moved his head to the side, easily avoiding the strike with the same strict calmness in his eyes. Lucy, needless to say, was absolutely dumbfounded. "You are obnoxiously loud…Lucy." Garder muttered as Lucy, expecting that it was just luck, attacked again.

Ducking quickly, the wall was sliced above Garder's head, the invisible arm only managing to cut a few strands of his hair off. "Very well then girl, I see I will have to make sport of you to get the idea through that thick horned skull of yours." Garder said darkly rising from the seat and removing his glasses, placing them in his pocket. Lucy, infuriated that she couldn't hit him, doing something crazy like avoiding her arms, invisible no less, screeched and rushed at him. In the narrow hallway, how could he possibly avoid the strikes of the man death filled fingers that came his way? Closing his eyes, Garder took a single deep breath and moved to the side, the arm crashing onto the ground. He swiftly ducked, landing on his knees as the two arms crisscrossed above his head and then moved to the side feeling the rush of the arm and hearing it even more as he avoided his left arm being ripped off. "Wh-What the hell!" Lucy cried out, unable to believe that he could possibly avoid it, and with his freaking eyes close no less!

He moved forward, lunging towards the Queen and before Lucy could register what happened, Garder's fist slammed into her face breaking her nose and spurting blood into the air. Falling back from the momentum of the hit, Garder grasped the front cloth of her shirt and pulled her forward avoiding yet another strike from her killer hands and bashed the same fist into her face again. Staggering, The Queen struggled to remain on her feet, eyes hatefully staring at the man and attacked again with blind fury. The ex-soldier side stepped the slash, swerved around the next three slices and with the same fist, bashed against the woman's cheek sending her rolling across the ground and sprawling out on her knees. The amount of rage Lucy was feeling was indescribable, but then even by the time she raised her head to face Garder, the director's bloody hand was already smashing against Lucy's face.

"Ugh!" Grunting, the Diclonius found herself singled handedly slammed against the wall, Garder holding her by her own face by his hand. He reached back into his pocket; got his glasses back on and placed them back on his face, opening his eyes finally. "Understand now little girl? I am more than capable of handling you own my own. Vectors, no matter how long, or how powerful always suffer from the flaw of being too loud. I, who have trained my ears to the upmost perfection, hear nothing but a loud rush, making it easy to avoid your strikes. Now Lucy, are you going to continue this useless mess?"

"…Bastard." She cursed, getting up again. The wind was kicking around her, filling the small hallway with the overpowering feeling of her arms, stronger than the average Diclonius. There was after all a reason she was The Queen. "Lucky shots, that's all." She growled wiping the blood off of her lips and crossing her arms over her chest. Garder glared and popped his fingers after stretching them leaning down on his knees. "Perhaps after this, you will understand your place child." He said sternly and then rushed forward.

* * *

><p>"Please talk to me." The multi-colored haired girl pleaded having followed Elrya for the past ten minutes much to the Diclonius chagrin. "I'm not lying at all, please believe me!"<p>

"I don't!" Elrya screamed, hating her and her obvious lies. "I've been betrayed too many times to believe what you say. Stop lying to me right now!" She had no idea why this girl wanted to befriend her so badly, it was getting annoying. "I don't have time for you; I need to find my friend!"

"I'll help you then!" She cried out.

"No way!" Elrya roared throwing her hand back. "I don't need your help at all human! Get the hell away from me!" But the girl didn't instead, she did the exact opposite she ran at her and suddenly wrapped her arms around her in a great big hug. "Guh? Ugh! Wh-What are y-you doing!" Elrya stammered trying to push herself away. "You aren't making any sense girl, seriously why are you so up to being friends with me. I've got horns on my head for crying out loud that has to sicken you." Much to her disbelief the girl only hugged her even more tightly, this girl who didn't have a clue who she was or the murders she had committed. "Because…" She said softly.

"…I saw how sad you looked and I wanted to be your friend."

"Huh?" Elrya mumbled.

"…I don't want you to be sad. Everyone should have at least one friend; otherwise they'll always be sad." The young girl said kindly leaving Elrya stunned. "Besides I don't…have any friends myself." She said sadly.

"Wh-What? Sure you do, I mean you don't have these sickening horns sticking out of your head." Elrya proclaimed. "You have to have a lot of friends! Seriously do you just get the joys of lying to me again and again?"

The girl sighed and lifted her shirt up slightly and revealed something that forced Elrya to almost gag. Her entire belly was covered in deep burned scars, skin ripped, flayed and twisted around her like snakes. She wished the girl hadn't turned around because there was the same thing running down her back, lines upon lines of flayed skin that would never heal. Suddenly, having horns didn't seem so bad anymore. "I was caught in an accident a long time ago that killed my mother and father, the fire hurt so much. They didn't think I was going to make it, but I did. Yet, nobody ever wanted to be near me, they said I was disgusting and thought that if they even touched me they'd look like me! Please!" She cried out lunging at Elrya and hugging her tightly.

"Let's be friends! Please, I'm sorry for being so obstinate but I don't have any more friends. I don't even have a home! Please don't hate me; I won't hate you I promise! I'm not lying." This girl, this girl who Elrya had known for less than 10 minutes was crying into her shoulders, practically begging to be her friend. How cruel were humans to not only pick on those who weren't like them but to pick on their own species as well? The girl must've been asking for friends for her entire life after the accident and whenever someone saw her condition they were instantly disgusted. If she didn't befriend this girl, would that make her any different from the humans who mistreated the child?

"My name's Elrya…" The Diclonius uttered softly.

"My name is Miriana!" The girl exclaimed. "Does this mean you'll be my friend?" She asked tensely and when Elrya nodded, the girl knocked her back down with another one of her grand hugs. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Miriana exclaimed enthusiastically crying tears of happiness this time and then apologizing for knocking her down again. "Miriana, do you know who Yin Sandersas is?"

"Yin? No not really." She replied.

"Well do you know where this is?" Elrya asked, bringing out the piece of paper. "I can't…exactly read." She said embarrassed. The girl on smiled and took the piece of paper. "Ah I see, this is an address for this Yin guy's place. Why do you need to see him though?"

"It's a long story, I'd rather not get into it." Elrya stated.

"That's fine, sure I'll show you where it's at." Miriana proclaimed dragging Elrya by the arm and running off.

"I…made another friend." Elrya thought.

* * *

><p>Lucy was currently struggling on the ground, her face yet again a bloody mess. Right eye black, three broken fingers on her left hand, a broken rib and most of all a crushed sense of purpose. "Guh…ugh…b-bastard…" She whispered, hardly able to move her head to look up while Garder stared down at her with uncaring eyes. "You have the tenacity befitting a true soldier, but you have the skills and prowess of an amateur. You keep attacking me with your vectors and after the beatings one would realize that if it didn't work, a second plan should be made. The moment your arms did not work you should've made a secondary plan and a third, and a fourth. You rely too heavily on those invisible arms and the moment that they don't work, you lose focus and attack irrationally."<p>

Lucy growled unable to move and unable to bring out her vectors due to the pain. With a sudden stomp he slammed his foot on her head. "I could crush you, Lucy. You know that well enough right now."

"I won't." The Queen uttered coldly. "I won't listen to some filthy human like you."

"That's ashame…." Garder said pulling from his pocket a small pistol and aiming at her head. "This will just make it harder on the both of us."

"Wait just a moment Mister Zero."

Garder raised the gun looking over his shoulders. "What is it, Vladimir? It isn't like you to stop a killing."

"Gehahahahaha! Oh don't worry I would be more than glad to watch you kill her, Mister Zero. But I have a better way of getting her cooperation and if she doesn't comply, I can kill many birds with but one stone. You see just killing her outright, while deliciously intoxicating pales in comparison in destroying her totally and completely." Vladimir said wickedly chucking something into the wall right above Lucy's head. A long pole sharpened at the end to the finest point and at the end, something that dangled, impaled upon it. Not even Lucy could suppress a shudder.

"I bet that brings back memories." Vladimir whispered. "If you don't help us, not only will you die. I will take that boyfriend of yours, and put his head on a stick."

"Kouta?" Lucy growled, unable to believe that they would even dare to think of threatening him. "I'll make sure you watch, watch as I decapitate him slowly, bleeding from the mouth and screaming for you to help him. I'll drain his tears in a cup, and swallow it whole. I'll keep the noggin as a souvenir and let you stare at it while you die."

"So what will it be Lucy?" Garder said.

Lucy closed her eyes, clenched her teeth and nodded slowly taking one last look at the thin pole above her, the body of her long since deceased puppy dangling at the end of it.

* * *

><p>Author's note: Another chapter, completed. Elrya meets and befriends a young girl named Miriana though complete trust may still not be entirely ready for her. Meanwhile Lucy meets Garder F. Morotisan and Vladimir Cents and after some "negotiations" is forced to agree to help them under the threat of her own loved ones. Alya is still missing and things are only to get more hectic. What will happen next?<p>

I made a slight change from the manga as originally Lucy killed professor Kakuzawa before Nana arrived on the beach.


	9. Scarred Memories

**Chapter 9: Scarred Memories **

While Elrya walked with suspenseful angst, her mind overflowing with thoughts and emotions that ranged from finding her friend Alya, deciphering lies that apparently were not and feeling remotely abashed at seeing Yin again. Miriana however skipped happily as if she were only a child, laughing aloud because she had found a friend and Elrya, despite herself found herself smiling as well. "So Miriana where do we go?"

"It's actually not that far, follow me." Miriana said before sprinting off.

"H-Hey! Wait up!" Elrya called out, running after her. "Damn she's fast." She thought quickly. Following Miriana as she raced across the streets and stopped by a nearby house. "She's right it was close."

Now once again having to swallow her pride as she had clearly made a point that she didn't need Yin's assistance and was coming over in need of it, Elrya stepped up to the small steps that lead to Yin's house and knocked twice. For one single moment she actually hoped Yin wouldn't answer the door. "Elrya are you alright, you look like you've got a fever." Miriana exclaimed worried about the sudden reddening around Elyra's face. The Diclonius had to bite back the urge to slap herself with her own vector. One person does a single good thing and even then that didn't necessarily make them completely righteous, and yet she was blushing like crazy. They were too different, incapable of any sort of relationship and for the last time she hated all humans. She was still wondering how she had even gotten this girl to come with her. It was all so confusing!

"I-I-I'm just…hot, that's all." Elrya stuttered quickly, trying to think of response. Miriana raised her eyebrows as it was only temperate outside.

"Damn." Elrya cursed inside her head as lo and behold Yin opened the door looking pleasantly surprised. "Ah Elrya what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you here. Ah, I see you've brought a guest, hello miss."

"Hello, my name is Kusoku Miriana." The girl replied happily bowing respectfully. "You're Yin right?"

"That's right. Sandersas Yin."

"Yin, I can't believe I'm asking this, but I need your help desperately. I need a place to stay at as does Miriana here. Do you think that we could…stay here?" She said blushing deeply from embarrassment. Yin only laughed and put a calm hand on her shoulder. "Of course, there's a reason I gave you that note, I'm actually surprised you came so soon. You and your friend are more than welcome to stay here; I only ask that you two do a little bit of work around the house. Think of it as the rent."

"Thank you!" Miriana happily exclaimed jumping into the house and running around awestruck at the fact that while small on the outside, it was quite roomy on the inside. "A home! A home! I haven't been in one since my parents died! Thank you very much Yin, I'll do whatever I can to help around here!"

"I appreciate that Miriana, please make yourself at home." He said, his statement unneeded as Miriana was certainly making herself at home. Elrya stepped in slowly, gazing with curiosity around the large room. "It's even larger than my house…" She thought, remembering her long past where things like facilities, Garder and pain did not exist, a time with her mother happily running around the room and cheerfully smiling. A time that was long since dead.

"Did you ever find your friend Alya?" Yin asked kindly while Elrya shook her head. "No I didn't, are you sure you didn't see anyone else, I mean I was sure she was right behind me."

"I'm sorry Elrya, you were the only one there and nobody else was around. What does she look like?"

"Well she's wearing the same outfit as me and she looks almost like my twin. The hairstyle is a bit longer than mind and her bangs are shorter, but if I didn't know any better I'd say she was my twin sister. She's the closest thing I have to a sister anyways. I don't even know what I would do if I lost her. She's helped me out in some of the toughest times of my life."

"Yin!" Miriana called out. "You're place is amazing! It's so big and wide and wow! These paintings are amazing, they're so beautiful! Wow! Wow! Look at all these books, so many pages do you read them all? Wow!"

"She certainly seems happy." Yin stated happily watching as Miriana darted from room to room with an ecstatic look upon her face. "There are two separate bedrooms at the end of the hall, I'm going to start getting the meal ready, once again make yourself at home."

* * *

><p>Elrya went into the room at the left, seeing a small bed and literally flew upon it sinking down into the soft fabrics. She snuggled her head up against the pillow, closing her eyes and letting the cool air of the fan hit her face. "This is a lot more comfortable than the beds at the facility; those things are like rotted benches. It smells so clean here too, I've almost forgotten what a room without blood smelled like. Alya, I really wish you could be here."<p>

Gazing over, she saw to her surprise a small shower room. There was no such thing as showers in the facility, there was cold water from the hose and that was basically to rub off the blood that after settling for too long decided that it was too pungent for the humans to take. Smiling she stepped inside the room, seeing the shower and then seeing, much to her surprise an even larger bath. The last time she had been cleaned was two weeks ago and upon seeing the bath it occurred to her that she was grimy, sweaty and in desperate need of some clean water on her. Turning the water on, she listened as the hot water spilled into the tub, putting her hand in and changing the temperatures around until was just right. She saw some bubble soap and smiled even more widely, memories of her childhood flushing over as she poured the mixture into the water, watching as the soapy bubbles popped up from the water. "This is going to feel so great." She said, removing her dress, shirt and undergarments and slowly lowering herself into the water while moaning appreciatively.

"Ow…" A sharp pain struck her as her wounded body flexed from the suddenly heat. "Relax, just relax." She said putting hand on her belly to soothe the large scar that ran across it. "That's right, much better, ugh, my shoulder." She growled trying to push the pain out of her head. After another moment of turning and gasping, the pain resided and she relaxed all the way down into the water so that the only thing visible was the front of her face and knees. She splashed the water by her feet with her vector and taking the rag began washing her unclean body, careful not to rub her scars too roughly.

After the wonderful bath, of which she had spent over an hour in, she took the towel, dried herself off and went back to the room to change back into her clothes when suddenly.

"Excuse me Elrya are you…Ah!" Yin stepped inside and suddenly fidgeted and stumbled back having the unfortunate timing of coming in and seeing Elrya full in the nude. Elrya shrieked covering herself up but the thing was it had nothing to do with being nude. When one lived in the facility, if you were embarrassed about being naked, well you probably didn't last very long in the facility in the first place. Likewise, while Yin had first looked away as not to feel indecent, he had then turned away because he had seen the state of Elrya's body. Her back and bottom were ripped and scarred as if she had been brutally beaten at some point in her life. The worst of it was the fact that it looked so fresh; the poor thing had been beaten very recently.

Starring at the wall, Elrya bowed her head feebly.

"I-I…" She mumbled nervously wrapping the blanket around her body because she was so embarrassed of him seeing her scars. Sighing deeply Yin walked to the front of the door. "Elrya, I can tell that you've been through a lot. I'm sorry for coming in on you like this. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Can you…pass me my clothes." She asked timidly while Yin, making extra sure to look at the ground picked up her clothes and walking over, head still bowed down laid them upon her bed. "Those scars, you've been abused. Is that why you won't trust me or other people, because you think we'll hurt you like that?"

Unable to stop a few tears, she nodded.

"Listen Elrya, I don't know what happened to you and unless you want to talk about it I won't push you either. Just remember that not all of us are like that. I would never hurt you and you should hear what Miriana has to say about you. She says you're the best friend she's ever had and would rather die than ever betray you. Seriously she said that to me."

Elrya nodded, still crying.

"Dinner is ready; we're going to eat outside on the deck so come whenever you're ready." At that Yin got up and left the room.

* * *

><p>Standing against the house, calmly waiting and listening, Julius watched as Elrya ate with the other two, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Elrya…what are you doing right now? You who have a discreet hatred for humans are currently dining with them and you are smiling. You don't even realize that you're being hunted down, there may even come a time when I myself must kill you."<p>

Unbeknownst of the other person, the three ate and chatted.

"So you still couldn't find Alya. Well, listen Elrya, how about in the morning we'll go and search for her." Yin said while Miriana nodded happily. "Thanks!" The Diclonius piped in happily ready to search for her friend. While worried she knew that Alya was definitely capable of taking care of herself.

Julius paused, having listened very carefully to the conversation.

"Alya isn't there huh, I wonder what happened." He thought pulling out a small radio and turning it on, speaking softly so that the others couldn't hear him. "Garder. Garder F. Morotisan, this is Diclonius Number Zero, Julius Javel. Member of Vladimir Cents specialized assassins, two cents. Code named…The Zero Point."

"Affirmed. What is going on Julius?" Garder asked from the radio.

"I am standing at the back of a local home where Elrya is currently located with two unknown people. I have been watching her for some time and have recently heard that Alya has gone missing."

A long pause.

"Missing?" Garder repeated.

"That's what I've heard what action do you want to take?" Julius asked. There was a pause that seemed forever, and though Julius couldn't see it, Garder was visibly sweating in his office, thinking deeply about what he was going to do. His fingers tapped on the desk, he pushed his glasses back up.

"_I'll kill everyone! I'll slaughter them all and make you watch!"_

"_Look at her, she's so precious and wonderful._

"_Hahahaha! Die! Die! Die!"_

…

…

"_Promise me…you'll always take care of her…Garder."_

…

…

"Julius, we still have track of Elrya because of the tracking chip we put into her. Nonetheless, I would like you to monitor her, keep a distance and don't show yourself. Just watch from the side and see what she does. It isn't like her to be together with humans, it completely goes against what she believes in. Alya is missing, what on earth has happened that allowed this? I will be changing the plan a bit but I will still be sending Lucy out to get her. Once they meet, we'll see how it goes."

"Roger…" Julius aid sternly.

* * *

><p>Lucy stood against the wall while Garder walked up to her. "There's been a change in plan Lucy. You are still going after Elrya but you are not going to kill her, not yet at least. I want you to bring her back to the facility."<p>

"Trying to be nice." The Queen growled.

"Just get going." Garder ordered and Lucy, with the threat of her loved ones on the line went out.

"So what's the deal Garder?" Vladimir asked. "Why the sudden change, are you honestly feeling some sort of empathy for the girl? You were all ready to have her murdered but now that Alya has disappeared suddenly that's changed. Don't be stupid Mister Zero, you know that it can't last. A set back is only a setback, Alya will be back to take control of Elrya like she always does."

"That's why I'm sending Lucy after her. Elrya won't come back to the facility without a fight and if she's pushed hard enough, if she's hurt badly enough. Alya may finally come to help her."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Elrya and Miriana gain a home at Yin's place and after an emotional moment regarding her past, Elrya sits down and eats with the very species she detested. With this changed revelation as well as the fact that Alya has gone missing, Garder has decided to change up the plan and send Lucy out to see if Alya will come out of hiding. What will happen next in "Pinpoint Lifeline"?<p> 


	10. Depth Perception Reasoning

**Chapter 10: Depth Perception Reasoning**

The members of Cents each stood, sat or in some form or way collected together in the basement of the Northwestern Tokyo Facility while their leader, Vladimir, sat on an extended area his arm draped over his raised knee. "Welcome…members." He replied devilishly, eyeing all the members with a cruel gaze. With the exception of Julius, whom he knew was currently tracking Elrya's movements; all the members were at attendance. "As you know, Mister Zero has made a change of plans his emotions are getting the better of him. Truly believing that without Alya there, Elrya won't indulge in her murderous behavior."

"Does he really believe that just because Alya has vanished, that Elrya won't give in to her murderous intent?" Orlana asked.

"How did Alya disappear? She couldn't have just gone up and vanished like that." Roy muttered.

"Word from Julius said that after sensing whom we assume to be Lucy, she ran off an accidentally ran full force into a wall, knocking her out. It's there that we believe Alya disappeared." Vorono said plainly.

"Hit a wall? Hahahaha! Damn." Roy snickered but letting Vorono continue.

"Alya has made no contact with Elrya since that incident. A few other incidents have also happened. Elrya has apparently befriended two humans on the outside world."

"Impossible." Roy stated matter of fact while raising his hand. "Elrya absolutely hates humans, even more than Lucy and we know her history. Other than you Vorono, and even that can be strained at times too, she's never trusted a single human in her entire life. Hell she's killed over 20 here in this facility within just the first year she was placed here. Alya may be a great influence on Elrya but she's not the sole reason she kills. Just because Alya has vanished doesn't mean that Elrya won't begin killing."

"So how do you explain it?" Orlana asked. "Elrya has befriended two humans despite all facts pointing that she should have brutally killed them. In other words we're facing…"

"…A hell of a dilemma." Roy finished flexing his fingers. "Also what's happening with the old fuck at the main facility?" Roy asked.

"Director Kakuzawa is still under the belief that we are trying to capture Lucy and bring her back to him." Vladimir stated with a sneer. "So as of now he expects nothing, Garder has that man in the very palm of his hands, moving him around like a chess piece. However, the Head Director is getting impatient and talks of using 'her' to find Lucy."

"Her?" Roy queried, raising his eyebrow.

"Sipilet Number 35, Kurama Mariko." Vladimir replied as the room tensed up.

"So the Head Director would go as far as to send that chaotic little girl to find Lucy." Orlana said softly, stretching her arms and slowly walking around the room. "However, Director Kakuzawa understands that Number 35 is uncooperative and won't use her unless he really needs to do so."

"Vladimir Cents, not to impede but why did you bring us down here?" Roy asked. "The only time you ever call us down is to signal one of us for one of the kills and as far as I know Garder has not issued anything yet."

"No, not yet he hasn't. I called you down here for the sole reason to inform you of all this. Garder called us to kill, it is the only thing we do, it is the only thing I do! Rip apart the flesh of thy enemies until not a single drop of living sweat exists. Watching them gurgle on their blood, fear and hopelessness in their eyes. I don't care how fast or slow it is but I love watching them suffer, I love watching myself suffer. What is the main objection for our killing?"

"…money." They said together.

"That's right; all of you have lives outside of this mercenary group. Somewhere you have or had families, loved ones. But you need cash, easy to earn, easy to collect, easy to market. Money is the pride of humanity; we'll do whatever we can to earn money because it helps us live. But then again, we wouldn't kill for sake of money. All of us here have a reason we seek the death of others. There's a reason that, despite the fact that I am who I am, you still work for me. Each of you has a specific reason for wanting to kill and earn money and it isn't because cash is nice."

They didn't nod but knew that Vladimir was correct. Each one of them had a specific reason for becoming killers and earning money.

"But what about me? I have no friends, nor family, nor loved ones. I have no need for money itself, and in fact while I do not mean to berate any of you or your skills, I have no need for any of you. I have no need for anything that this world has to offer so why do I implore your skills, abilities and prowess." Vladimir raised one finger.

"Desire. I desire to attain the greatest suffering. I desire to make my world around me suffer and cause suffering. Kill the men, kill the women, kill the children and animals. Choke the babies and spit on the elderly. Twist the arms, snap the legs, kill everything that I see. I desire to watch as the foe drips venom at me, hacking and slashing at my body with no intent of stopping. I desire to suffer as much as I can until the end of my life. I will use whatever means I need to cause suffering, I will threaten families, loved ones. I will kill and drag corpses to mothers and as they cry, I will snap their necks. As a father rages at the murder of his son, I will laugh and mock him and then impale him through the head. As little boys and girls are running away from a burning inferno, I will drop the thousands of poles and impale their poor bodies, laughing as they dangle. Every teardrop I swallow whole. Every ungodly deed I relish in. I am after all…incorrigible.

Everyone but Roy Synth, you may leave."

They nodded, displaying no concern at Vladimir's chaotic rant.

"Aye Vladimir Cents?" Roy said.

"Prepare your weapons. Even though the top priority was to kill Elrya and Alya, Garder's emotions have changed that. However the man has brilliantly decided that our services can be used to kill another person. He still wants us to wait, which I will allow until Lucy and Elrya meet. Depending on what happens here's what we will do.

If Alya appears, kill her and Elrya. But if for some reason Alya does not come back, Garder has decided that Lucy no longer has a reason to live. So you will kill her instead."

"Why her? Or is it just to get under Kakuzawa's skin?" Roy questioned.

"Garder perceives Lucy as a threat just as great as Elrya and Alya. I think it's easy to say that Garder holds no sympathy for Kakuzawa's desires for a pure Diclonius world. In truth though, Garder can no longer retain his composure in his world. He's locked himself within his own emotions, desperately letting others do his dirty work. However the day will come when he will have to act especially in the case of Elrya and Alya.

Roy! Head out and wait for orders."

"Hm. Sounds like a plan." Roy said sneering before exiting the room while Vladimir reached from behind and pulled one of the thin needles out of his neck. With the blood dripping from the tip, he began to slowly lick it.

* * *

><p>Lucy stood just outside Maple Inn looking inside the windows with perfect anxiety. How dare they even think of threatening Kouta but what choice did she have? They had her own a leash and if she didn't obey them, they would kill him and it had been made clear that they were more than willing to do that. Yet the very thought of a threat against that man made her blood boil and her teeth clench.<p>

"Lucy."

"What do you want?" She growled as Garder came up looking up at the house.

"Preparations for you to meet Elrya are underway. Why are you standing here?"

"You wouldn't understand, human." She hissed. Garder didn't push the subject any further.

"Head back to my facility and remember that we have you tracked so running away won't do anything."

Hating him but having no other choice, Lucy nodded and walked away while Garder remained outside. "Just remember…" She said over her shoulders. "One day I will make you all pay for everything you did to me."

* * *

><p>"Orlana can I talk to you for a moment."<p>

The woman turned around. "Sure, what is it Vorono?" She asked crossing her arm and staring at him with her usual one eye.

"I want you and me to switch place. Third Cent and Fourth Cent."

She starred at him for a long time, trying to decipher what he meant. Each member of Cents had his or her own skills and prowess and the range of these skills and prowess gave them each a rank. The weakest being five and the strongest being one. Vorono was not the person though who arrogantly strutted around on his own powers, meaning to change his rank with a stronger one must have meant that something else was going on.

"Why?" She asked sternly.

"While Roy is definitely skilled, if he goes against Elrya and loses, I will have to go up against her."

"You have become attached to her." Orlana stated seriously, opening her eye so that the coin glinted. "You've become far too attached to the girl with the years you've spent with her. The killing intent that was inside of you has slowly dwindled."

"…"

"What will you do if you are sent to kill her anyways? Remember what we are, killers, assassins, mercenaries. Each of us kill for a certain reason, even myself and I know that you do as well. The only thing that you are doing is passing time that may very well be inevitable."

"…"

"I'll see what I can do." She said walking away.

"Thank you, Orlana."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Chapter 10 completed. Roy Synth, The Sniper is sent out and is awaiting orders. Who will his target be, Elrya or Lucy? Vorono asks Orlana to switch ranks. More action, romance, supsense and angst next time on "Pinpoint Lifeline".<p> 


	11. A Morning To Remember

**Chapter 11: A Morning To Remember**

Leaning against the back of large tree and listening to the leaves rustle, Julius contemplated what he had seen. How had Elrya lost Alya? Why was Elrya with humans, two of them in fact and living together with them? Perhaps, now that Alya was no longer subjugating Elrya to her will and thus Elrya wasn't being manipulated, Elrya's personality was acting differently. Yet, that didn't change anything, just because Alya had vanished didn't mean that she wouldn't reappear and force Elrya to become what she truly was. The truth was that Alya would most likely return to Elrya, the two were so close they were almost like sisters. No, this moment of peace was only temporary, it would be best to let the mission continue.

Although Elrya wouldn't be able to sense him, he could sense Elrya and needless to say he noticed a startling change in her Diclonius signature. Before, her signature had been cold, dark and highly volatile. She would lash out at everyone unless proper measures were given and with the exception of Vorono, any human that came within the range of her vectors suffered from a death that at best would be quick but very bloody. Vorono helped to ease her anxiety around humans but by no means did it erase it completely.

"It's a shame, Elrya. It isn't as though I enjoy seeing my own kind killed off, but I don't think you realize how dangerous you truly are."

"Am I insane?" The young Sipilet thought as she lay down on the comfortable bed, the only one awake in Yin's house at the moment. "I hate humans, and I know for a fact that humans are hellish beings who want nothing but to have others suffer. Alright maybe some of them, like the Head guard aren't that bad but still, it's not like they've told the others to stop hurting me or the others. All they do is experiment on my kind, laughing sadistically at our pain. I should hate them all, no matter who it is, I should kill them all for the pain they made me go through. Yet I don't want to anymore.

Yin…

Miriana…

No matter how much I try to believe that they are lying, only the absolute truth comes from them. I look into their eyes, I listen to their voices and it sounds completely truthful, but it isn't possible. A Diclonius can never be friends with a human, the only thing that can happen is death." Yet, here she was, in a warm home given to her generously by the very being she despised with another girl whom quite literally had cried her eyes out in the hopes that she would be her friend.

"I…don't want this to ever end." She thought, knowing that she would have to give her weekly report to Garder in which she would no longer be able to hide the fact that she had lost Alya. "I don't ever…want to be without my friends. I don't ever want to be without hope again. If I can have these friends and if I can find Alya…

…I promise to never kill another single person again."

* * *

><p>The morning sunlight blazed against Roy's face whom for one of the rare occasions wore a shirt on him. A thin short sleeved black one with some important saying in Russian that he had acquired while spending a few months in Moscow, well before he became a mercenary for hire. His hair was slicked back and tied into a short pony tail, while his right hand was stuffed deep into his pocket so that the silver coin could be seen. The man stood in front of the local hospital, gazing up at the third story window and with a sigh walked in.<p>

"Ah Mister Synth, how do you do this morning?" The head nurse asked as he waved with a kind grin on his face. "It's all good, hope the morning hasn't been too rough."

"No, neither was last night, Roy…" She added with a look of pain in her eyes. "We've been working very hard, but as you know the medication isn't available here in Japan and the costs for it are too much to be paid by the hospital itself."

"I'm working on getting the money. I promise I'll have it and help him." Roy said sternly walking to the elevator and rising up to the third floor where after walking down the long bright white hallway, he took a turn to the left and at the second closed door he opened it slowly. The sudden soft childish voice of "Papa! Papa came to visit!" came from the young boy of about 6 years old lying against the hospital bed. His entire face and body was sickeningly yellow while tubes flushed through his body, pulsating as the monitor clicked and beeped at specific intervals. Yet the moment Roy entered, the young child beamed so brightly at him that it was like he was hardly sick at all. The bright innocence and happiness in his eyes radiated like the sun as he tried to get up and began choking uncontrollably.

"Don't exert yourself Koroh, you know what the doctor's said, you can't over do anything." Roy said, getting worried as the boy kept coughing, wheezing and turning over so that Roy could easily see the veins on his neck. Calmly placing his hand on his shoulder, the boy's cough subsided as he turned back around smiling jovially at Roy, his small hand clasping his father's own and holding it tightly as he nudged it against his face. "Papa came to visit! Papa you should come more often, I get lonely when you aren't around."

"I'm sorry, I've been very busy." He said bringing a small arm chair over so that he could sit by the bed with his hand on Koroh's head.

"You mean your important job?" The child asked quizzically.

"That's right, my important job." Roy replied smiling kindly.

"Papa…I made something for you." The child began to move over and the mere motion of just turning over made him cough violently again, eyes clenched together and his body shaking uncontrollably before his father's hand kept him still, allowing the child to once again calm down. Roy reached over to where his son had been trying to get to and pulled out a small paper with a drawing on it. "It's you papa! Papa, Mama and me!" He said happily while Roy stared at the picture, looking at the stick figure drawing that his son had made for him and seeing the soft dots where the spittle from his hectic coughs had hit the paper.

"It's wonderful." He uttered looking around before going to the very back of the room. "Here, I'll put it right on the wall so that I can always see it, alright?"

"Yay!" Koroh replied enthusiastically, his beaming face filled with so much joy in it. "I worked all day on it Papa just for you! You do like it right?" He asked, his face turning around slightly.

"Of course I do!" Roy beamed appreciatively. "Anything you make for me I will always cherish." The compliment nearly sends the boy into a fit which due to his sickness is hardly a good thing. After another round of coughing and wheezing, the young child turned on his side with his head resting happily against his father's arm. Roy looked away, starring at the picture on the wall longingly and listening to the small beeps of the monitor that held on to his son's life.

"…_Each of you has a specific reason for wanting to kill and earn money and it isn't because cash is nice."_

Papa, when is Mama coming to see me?"

Roy looked over at him, rubbing his hand through the boy's thick black hair, wincing slightly as small tufts of it came off between his fingers. "We've been through this; your mother…isn't going to come."

"Why?" The child asked innocently.

"Koroh, don't you remember what I told you. Your mother had a bad accident a couple of years ago."

"When is she going to get better?"

Roy couldn't help but wince when he heard that and despite his age, Koroh seemed to understand what was going on because small tears began to drip from his small eyes. "I miss Mama…" He whispered."

"I know, so do I." Roy whispered.

"Papa! When I get better I'm going to make the best picture for both you and Mama! I'll become a great artist that everybody knows…ugh…" Roy tensed up as the coughing hit a new level of pain for his son and the monitor started beeping wildly. Two doctors came, placing rags on the boys head and calmly moving Roy out of the way who stood, fist clenched and watching his son's pain filled spasm reside into soft whimpers before falling asleep on the bed. "How's he doing?" He asked one of the doctors who gave him a fleetingly look before replying, "It's not good Roy. Your son as you know had multiple cancers including lung, heart and Leukemia. Some of it we've been treating but some of it we can't until we get the proper medication which unless you can provide the necessary payment to get the materials the most we can do is small doses of medication. Trust me; if we could we do all that we could to get your son better but, I'm afraid we can't do it right now. I'm not going to lie to you Roy, but your son needs the treatment badly."

"…How long…does he have?"

"Roy, I couldn't give you an exact amount of time but it is not looking good at all."

Roy Synth sighed and nodded once before leaving the hospital to hear what was going on about Lucy and Elrya.

* * *

><p>"Huh!" Elrya shot from the bed with such haste that she accidently ran into the wall in her rush. "You have to be kidding me…" She thought groggily, wiping her eyes and having woken up so suddenly, trying to get rid of the mild headache. "I'm certain that I felt another Diclonius, if it's Alya that will be great but what if it's Lucy? I can't let her come here, she'll kill Yin and Miriana in a heartbeat…" she paused.<p>

"I'm insane alright, feeling concerned for humans." She breathed in and out, walking out of her room and thanking the stars that Yin and Miriana were still asleep so she didn't have to make up some story of where she was going. Stepping outside, she let the crisp morning sun hit her face and took just the briefest moment to breathe in the morning dew air. "It smells nice…" She thought to herself, vividly remembering the scent for days to come. "I've missed out on so many things in this world, so many good things."

"Elrya?"

"Damn!" She thought to herself before turning around. "Hey Miriana, what are you doing up so early?" Elrya asked pleasantry, trying to hide her discomfort.

"I could ask you the same thing." Miriana chided looking around at where Elrya was staring intently at. "Is something there?" The young girl asked inquisitively while Elrya once again cursed inside her head. "Uh, no Miriana. Hey listen, I'm going to take a quick walk, breathe in the morning air and stretch out my arms and legs. I'll be back in a few minutes…I hope." She added as an afterthought. "That's great I'll come too!" Miriana replied cheerily.

"Damn!" The Sipilet hissed inside her head again. "I'd rather go alone; it's just something I do in the morning. Seriously it's not you, it's me."

"You're not telling me something, I can tell." Miriana said sourly, glaring at Elrya. "You told me not tell you any lies and I haven't, now don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying…" She said with a face most untruthful. "I love taking walks alone but if it makes you feel any better, the next morning we'll take a walk together."

"Really?" Miriana said enthusiastically and after Elrya nodded, the young girl hugged Elrya tightly. "Keep your word then, and don't be gone too long." Miriana said watching as Elrya strolled off and letting a bead of sweat drop down her face. "You…weren't lying, were you Elrya?" She thought.

* * *

><p>The two met at a cross road, a small forest hillside edging out at the west. Elrya narrowed her eyes at the young woman, knowing that she would have at some point met Lucy and now here they were, alone (or so they thought) at the cross roads glaring one another down. The Sipilet had to admit, she was kind of intimidated by Lucy. She was older, stronger, not to mention the Queen herself. In short, Lucy held, in Elrya's mind, the complete advantage.<p>

Lucy starred coldly at the girl, seeing her young age and much like Elrya, thought that she too held the advantage. Although she wouldn't admit it herself, it was also true that the Queen was rather arrogant with her own powers as well. However unlike Nana, whom she had ripped apart with gleeful intemperance, for the stupid child to dare fight against her, this time was different. She had to kill this girl for the sake of Kouta and therefore, for the sake of the girl, she would make her death as quick and painless as possible. Unfortunately, the girl seemed ready to fight and Lucy wondered how much she would have to break her before she finally succumbed to death.

"Lucy…" Elrya muttered while the Queen tensed up at the use of her false name, not that anyone knew her true name anyways.

"Yes." The woman replied coldly.

"I guess you already know why I'm here."

"Sure…" Lucy answered nonchalantly, crossing her arms over her chest and letting her vectors emerge crisscrossing around her so that dust kicked around. Elrya bent low on her knees, the same condition happening around her, straggly arms of death spinning rapidly around her. They took the moment to assess the other, watching the numbers and the length.

"She's got more arms than me, but mine are much longer." Elrya thought. "Perhaps I'm not at much of a disadvantage than I thought.

In what seemed like perpetuity, gazing at the other and tensing up so that beads of sweat appeared, at least on Elrya, the two Diclonius lunged forward, and the arms flashed out in a maelstrom of attacks.

* * *

><p>Watching from the side, Julius rested against the tree, starring emotionless at the two before another person came up. "So the two finally got to meet each other." Roy said smirking holding a long customized rifle over his shoulder and sitting down next to the Diclonius who nodded.<p>

"So I wait, and watch a match between Diclonius and Diclonius. Should be quite interesting, it's not something I get to see often. You'll have to keep me up to date with what's going on, unlike you I can't see their vectors."

"Of course." Julius said.

"If Alya appears during the fight, I'll kill her and Elrya, but if she doesn't, I'll kill Lucy. In the end both of them are too dangerous to live. Hehehe…I guess in a sense we are too dangerous to live either. We live lies Julius, hiding behind masks and try to justify our own means yet in the end we are just killers. Whatever the situation may be, as long as we can in some way justify our means we'll do whatever it takes to attain it, even if it means killing off children like this. I guess that's just the world we live in."

"How's your son…"

Roy sighed. "You had to bring that up did you? Koroh is under the impression that I am a good father who lives a great and sin free life. I don't want him to think of me any other way, there's no way he could ever forgive me if he knew the life that I faced. I also fear that his life may not last very long right now. Once I finish this, Garder will allow the payment needed for my son to get his operation."

"To save your own child, you would kill other children?" Julius asked. "You know, you aren't the first person to do that."

"Perhaps…" Roy said, bringing out the 50 caliber bullet and placing it into the slot of his gun, clicking it together and bringing his rifle forward. "…but unlike Kurama, who was forced by Kakuazawa to kill others, I have chosen my own sin."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: After a brief delay (compare to my chapter a day) I finally finished chapter 11. I do hope you, the reader are enjoying the story. I'll try to get the next chapter done ASAP. Please R&amp;R.<p> 


	12. Shifts Of Pain And Fury

**Chapter 12: Shifts Of Pain And Fury**

If Elrya had even the slightest inkling of the kind of brutality Lucy was capable of, something poor Nana could attest for herself, Elrya would have considered herself very lucky. There was no time for sadism or mockery, Lucy was prepared to kill her instantly, striking would be lethal blows to her head and heart, arms that were only avoided thanks to quick intuition and movement. There was no glorified smirk on the Queen's face this time, no appalling laughter as she sprung to tear her prey into just enough pieces so that they died the slowest agonizing death imaginable. No, she struck like a snake each time with her vectors, a strike aimed to kill, not to incapacitate. Elrya continued to swerve, duck and repel her attacker yet continuously found herself on the defensive end, and hardly a minute had passed that Elrya was sweating and Lucy, while breathing heavily from stress, as fighting another Diclonius would have had, was rather calm.

Swerving to the side, Lucy lunged to the left and with dexterous movement befitting herself as the Queen, swung her vector behind Elrya's back and then back around to her head. The young Sipilet gasped and brought her arm out defensively, attempting to repel the incoming attack. It half worked; Elrya managed to slow the attack but couldn't stop it completely. The loud echoing crack of her jaw resounded in the forest and in her ears and stumbled backwards, wondering if her lower jaw was still connected to her face. "Ugh…damn…" She thought, wiping the stream of blood running down the left side of her lips and spitting it on the ground. "Huh" She barely had time to register what had happened, Lucy had sprung into the air and almost as if on instinct Elrya covered her head with her vectors. A wise decision as the blow that struck her, which would've taken her head completely off, instead just slammed her face first into the ground.

"Ah! Gah! What's wrong with me?" Elrya thought desperately rolling away as the dirt ground was slashed apart before rolling onto her back and flipping back over to her feet. "She may be strong but why am I doing so poorly? Come on Elrya you damned girl, put yourself together. You can win…you can…"

And then she watched as one of Lucy's vectors flew out and tore from the roots a large tree, holding it over her shoulders. "You know I tried to kill you quickly, but you're being a real pain in the ass."

"…Shit!" Elrya cursed jumping into the air to avoid the massive trunk from flattening her. Hovering in the air with her vectors she felt the oh so familiar feeling of a vector into her gut, sliding into it and threatening to tear right through her. As with the other times she sent her other vectors out to keep Lucy's attack from driving into her any deeper Then with a quick turn of her body, and wrapping her corporal arms around Elrya's torso, the Queen slammed the poor Sipilet into the dirt floor, kicking up a cloud of choking dust.

Choking, spitting and in most part cursing the person that recently she thought to be the greatest being in the world, Elrya struggled to stand up, smelling her own blood flowing from her body. Lucy was unharmed and after the beat down she gave her, seemed to have lost that instinctive fear of a lethal counter attack.

"Don't get up…" Lucy said sternly, gazing as Elrya fell back to her knees and clutching her left side. "Just don't get up; just lay down and I will end your suffering." With one fell swoop, her vector sliced through the air, aiming for the unguarded neck and sighing internally as Elrya jumped back and collapsed back down on her knees. "Idiot…" Lucy growled, striking again and again, watching while Elrya dodged, ducked and avoided her strikes but also knowing that the girl was growing more and more tired. It was only a matter of time before fatigue got to the girl and she wouldn't be able to avoid or block the next attack.

* * *

><p>"It would seem that Lucy is really laying the number on our young girl. Though I must admit Elrya sure knows how to dodge. Something seems strange though…" Roy muttered, still resting against the trunk of the tree. "Not denying Lucy's abilities, but Elrya has more vectors and a killer instinct noticeable amongst the Diclonius. Why is she acting like this, she's been on the defensive the entire time."<p>

"Ever since Alya vanished Elrya's personality has shifted drastically." Julius whispered as a reply his eyes darting back and forth as he watched the vectors swarm around the forest. "I don't know what caused this chain of events but for now the only thing we can do is watch and see what the outcome is. Although at this point, unless Elrya picks up her game, she won't be lasting much longer."

"What a shame. Which means I'll have to kill Lucy there. You Diclonius really can't get a lucky break can you?"

"No, hardly at all…" Julius muttered coldly.

* * *

><p>"Have you decided to submit to your end?" Lucy asked, both truthfully and sarcastically as Elrya struggled to get back on her feet and then landed painfully on her back, her arms, legs and torso throbbing and her fatigue at wits end. With a few casual steps, Lucy stomped hard on Elrya's hands pinning them down and glaring from overhead, while Elrya, as if to show some defiance starred spitefully back but nonetheless, the sweat drops of fear were getting to her. The anxieties only worsened when Elrya saw the deadly appendance swerve from the Queen's back, rearing to the side to kill.<p>

"No." Elrya thought, clenching her teeth in the process. "Come on, I can't die, not like this. I-I'm not afraid but…" Eyes widened, thinking incoherently. "Come on Elrya, get up, move your body! Move your body! Yin and Miriana, come on…get up Elrya! Get your vectors out! Get your vectors out."

"What a shame…" Lucy said sardonically.

"Come on! Get up! Get up!"

"Farewell." And with that final word, Lucy struck; ready to decapitate the poor girl instantly.

"_Please help me…Alya!"_

*Slash!*

* * *

><p>Lucy starred incredulously as her corporeal arm was pinned to the grassy ground by Elrya whom starred with almost the same incredulous shock at before. "Impossible…" The queen thought to herself, struggling to lift the hand up and finding such a feat nearly impossible to do. "She was barely able to move much less bring out her arms, what's going on?" The sudden shock on Elrya's face suddenly turned morbidly furious so that her irises suddenly shrunk to small red dots. The whirlwind of dust, dirt and vegetated debris flew around her like a hurricane; she seemed to be on the verge of foaming at the mouth.<p>

The she charged, pushing with her vectors and launching herself at the queen an animalistic look of rage on her features. One of Lucy's vectors swerved and struck from above, hitting the earth as Elrya avoided it by soaring into the air at amazing speeds. "Fast!" Lucy thought, wondering why the girl had suddenly gotten like this but having no time to delve on the matter as the swarm of vectors flew down like missiles upon her. Outnumbered and outsized when it came to the vectors, Lucy finally found herself running around, ducking and dodging death at mere centimeters. The bitch really wanted to go at it, she was going to make her death quick, even painless, but now the pain in the ass had struck her final chord. She'd be lucky to get a quick anything after the shit she put her through right now.

Elrya slid back, and threw her vectors out stopping the massive trunk of the tree, a branch coming dangerously close from impaling her right in her crazed red eyes. She dropped the tree and let her vectors slash at multiple intervals from the trunk, dicing 5 large, but easy to hold, piece of wood before chucking them at Lucy. The forest echoed with the sound of wood smashing against wood, or splintering upon the impact of Lucy's vector. At the final toss, Lucy caught it and with one quick movement tossed it back where it grazed passed Elrya's side, slicing her up a bit but leaving no lasting damage.

"_Alya…I must…help…Alya. I must…help…Miriana. I…must…help Yin. Alya! Alya! Where are you, I-I don't know if I can do this without you? Help me Alya; please you've always been there for me when I needed you. Alya?"_

* * *

><p>"Elrya's demeanor has changed." Roy stated matter of fact, taking aim with his gun but lowered it when Julius put his hand on it, pushing it down slightly. "No, not yet Roy. It's not time, close but not yet. Remember the order, keep waiting."<p>

"As you wish, but if Elrya gets out of control like this and Alya comes, we won't be facing a mere Sipilet anymore."

"I know…"

"Julius, not to impede, but you aren't trying to keep me from doing my job because as a Diclonius, you feel sorry for her and Lucy?"

"I would kindly appreciate it if you did not say such things to me." Julius said, almost a growl.

"I'm sorry, I spoke out of line." Roy said, watching the fight unfold again.

* * *

><p>The battle in almost an instant turned vicious and for the first time, Lucy found herself on the defense end, narrowly avoiding deadly strikes that the girl seemed to throw at her almost randomly. She was angry, furious and oddly chaotic if those small dots for eyes meant anything, but she was also irrational, attacking in the hopes that she would hit her but not actually thinking.<p>

Two strikes passed over her head, a third to her hip narrowly avoided slicing off her leg and then Lucy bypassed Elrya's defenses and swung hard. The girl, looking just in time before feeling the harsh blow against her head, blowing her off her feet and slamming her head first into a tree that with the force made a large dent in to the bark while Elrya slid back down, leaving a red smear.

"_Alya…help me…it hurts…"_

The young Sipilet struck from behind, not taking the time to look behind her and attacking just to push Lucy away in case she was too close. Unfortunately, while the move was smart, it ultimately ended up being futile as Lucy had already ran to the side and struck another hectic blow against her diaphragm, knocking the air out of her as well as a good bit of her own blood. Her crazed eyes were beginning to dim, being replaced by pain and shock before another blow slammed her back on the ground where if she hadn't felt her legs, she would've thought herself paralyzed. It was back to the same thing again, she could hardly even remember what she had been doing and now Lucy was standing above her, stomping her foot on her back and pushing her vectors against her arms.

"_I can't…move…my body. I can't move, but it hurts. My body hurts so much. My wounds are opening up again, I know it, it hurts so much. Make it stop. Make it stop. Make it stop! Alya, where are you? Where did you go on that day, you were right behind me weren't you? Alya? Alya please come back, please. Did I do something wrong? Did I make you angry? I'm sorry Alya, I didn't mean too, please come back. I need you Alya._

_I…_

_I.._

_I can't do this…without you._

_Please help me…_

…_Alya."_

*SNAP!*

Elrya gasped, eyes widening when she felt the elbows in her arms give way from the force of Lucy's vectors and snapped in twain. A single moment of calm before the burning rush of pain seared from Elrya's arms and down her spine before passing over her entire body. No longer was Lucy being merciful, the little girl had decided to keep her pain going so she was going to let that go on, even going as far as to give one of her devilish smirks that often passed her face before she prepared to deal judgment to her victims. Unable to take the blinding pain anymore, Elrya screamed shrilly, her cry echoing throughout the forest.

"_Alya…please help me! I need your help, I desperately need your help! Where are you? Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!"_

"Does it hurt?"

Elrya wanted to remain defiant, she wanted to say no and glare at Lucy with conviction in her eyes, but there was no conviction. The last bit of conviction had been used up during her moment of anger and now she was trapped in a world of suffering and agony, unable to move and her body blinded by the shrill pain that filled her. Instead of glaring reproachfully at Lucy, Elrya began shaking her head rapidly.

"_Alya! Help me Alya! Where are you Alya? It hurts, please stop it! Help me Alya! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Please…!"_

"Sorry, but I'm desperate too…" Lucy said solemnly and struck, and this time nothing would stop her.

* * *

><p>"Elrya!" Lucy stumbled, cursing herself for even daring to hesitate and looking to see a young girl about the same age as the Diclonius she was about to kill. Black hair with streaks of blonde in it, with a face of innocence that expressed surprise when she saw Elrya on the ground before covering her hand over her mouth in a gasp. She stepped back and then with a rush ran over to Elrya, much to Lucy, Roy and Julius' surprise.<p>

"Elrya! What did you do to her?" She yelled at Lucy looking at the broken body of her friend.

"Who the hell is that girl?" Roy growled, sweating dripping from his face. "This defeats the entire purpose of the mission, if that girl is here I can't do anything. Shit!"

"This…is quite the scenario." Julius muttered.

"M-Miriana?" Elrya asked through dimming eyes and then saw Lucy strike with her vector. Instinctively she shot her own vector out, and hit Lucy so hard across the face it sent her flying into a tree where she bashed head first into and slid down limply. Miriana who had been looking at Elrya with shock suddenly turned around to see Lucy sliding down the tree painfully. "H-Huh? What happened? What was that Elrya? What's going on?"

"G-Get out…go away…Miriana." Elrya moaned, wincing as another blaring strike of pain soared through her arms and around her body. "Please Miriana, it's too dangerous for you to be here right now, please get away." Instead of running away, the girl gently lifted Elrya up from the ground , doing her best to her body so as not to put too much pain or pressure on her beaten body. She was also surprised to see that Miriana was crying against her shoulder.

"Why did you lie to me?" She wept, blinking to get rid of the tears. "You told me not to lie to you and then you lie to me. Elrya…friends don't lie to each other."

* * *

><p>"Damn, this isn't going as planned." Roy muttered coldly, watching as Elrya limped away with the strange girl and then seeing Julius' befuddled expression as he looked at Lucy who struggled back on her feet and walked towards Elrya and the girl. Although from her stumbling it seemed as if Lucy was merely in a daze and was coincidentally walking towards the two. "Something…is wrong…" Julius whispered and when he heard his radio beep he thoughts were about right.<p>

"This is Garder F. Morotisan, Julius what happened to Lucy? Her tracking signature has disappeared. What's going on out there?"

"It's hard to explain sir, Lucy and Elrya were in combat while I and Roy watched from a secluded area. Roy was prepared to take out Elrya or Lucy depending on the situation as you said but an unknown girl came up to Elrya and is walking away with her. We can't exactly make ourselves known and Roy can't make a shot with the girl so close to her."

"What about Lucy? What happened to her?"

"Sir…I don't know. I'm looking at her right now but from what I sense, that is not Lucy."

"Hm?" Roy said, perking his head when he heard this. "Then who the hell have I been looking at this whole time, her twin sister?" He asked rhetorically.

"Julius, you aren't making any sense. You've been watching Lucy the entire time during this fight and now suddenly she isn't Lucy? Hold on…

…

…

Listen up Julius, Roy I don't know how this came along but there is no more time to delay. How is the situation with the two, weakened and such?"

"Elrya has taken the blunt of the damage, two broken arms, more than likely a few broken ribs. She definitely doesn't have much of a fighter in her left. There was a sudden outburst from her signature but it only lasted a few seconds. Lucy took some damage but she's still capable of fighting, if that person is Lucy anyways. Why?"

"Julius, return back to the facility here, Roy, do your best to avoid hitting the unknown girl but we have no time to waste. I'm still holding Kakuzawa at bay with the lies that we are still searching and trying to collect Lucy but it's only a matter of time before he decides to release Number 35. That's an order. If that person was Lucy, than she still is going to be Lucy."

"What about Elrya herself? Alya never came back and you told us only to shoot Elrya if Alya also appeared too."

"...I know...I know..." Garder said strictly, his voice breaking up as it did when he talked. "Damn, I...I admit I'm not sure what to do."

"Perhaps both I and Roy should return back, the situation has changed too much. As far as Elrya herself knows, we still have her tracked and of course maybe this isn't just an issue with the technology. I can still sense Elrya, and as long as she believes she's being tracked, she won't do anything. Not to mention that in the next two days she is supposed to contact you. I suggest we wait...just a little longer."

"...Very well then, I'll do that. The two of you return."

"…Roger." Julius said as Roy nodded and cocked his gun giving a curt nod as Julius left.

"…It just isn't our lucky day." Roy muttered.

* * *

><p>Elrya starred angrily as Lucy came upon them, hair plastered over her face but seeing the situation as hopeless. She was too weak to use her vectors and she knew that though hurt, Lucy wasn't nearly as damaged as she was. It was a bad place to be in, and once again she started to tell Miriana to get away as fast as she could. She couldn't understand why Miriana was heading over to Lucy, being her innocent and naïve self.<p>

"Hello, do you need some help?" She asked. "You look hurt too, are you alright?"

"Miriana! P-Please…she's dangerous…"

Miriana looked at her confused then at Lucy who stumbled forward and finally looking up before giving one soft, incredulous…

"Nyu?"

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Quite a chapter eh? A brutal fight that has ended with quite the twist ending. What will happen next though? Please R&amp;R.<p> 


	13. Majority Setback

**Chapter 13: Majority Setback**

Elrya didn't have the faintest clue why Lucy, whom only a few seconds ago was about to butcher her with a sadistic look on her face, was suddenly staring with an innocent face of surprise. Her entire signature had vanished on the spot; hell due to how she held her body, Lucy was almost half a head shorter than before. She didn't have the inkling of ideas of why the woman kept saying "Nyu…" again and again while looking around as if searching for something or someone. It had to be a ruse, a clever trap to get her off guard before striking the final blow, but there was just one problem with that thought. Why? Lucy clearly had the upper hand against the fight; she was hurt but hardly unable to attack while she, Elrya, was left in a state of bare consciousness.

"Do you need some help?" Miriana asked, still holding the dazed and beaten Elrya and looking at the girl with a friendly look in her eyes. Nyu looked curiously at her, before going into a stream of "Nyu's" and "Nyaa's" while making random hand gestures. "Hm, I don't…really understand." Miriana said, tilting her head to the side and Elrya wanted to desperately tell her to run away again, to scream as loud as she could because Miriana was one of the only human to truly befriend her. "M-Miriana…please…r-run away." Elrya moaned again, trying to move her body and gasping as a new strain of pain struck her.

"Be careful Elrya, you're really hurt!" Miriana exclaimed. "How did this happen, what happened to you?"

"M-Miriana, that girl, she'll kill you…"

Miriana looked at Elrya then at Nyu who had the same look as Miriana, surprise. The girl looked more of a danger to herself than anyone else, but how did her friend get into such a beaten and bloody state? Even someone as naïve as Miriana knew that Elrya needed medical help and she needed it now, she could see the slashes and bruises where bones had clearly been broken. Her arms hung limply at odd angles, and her breathing was shallow and irregular. In fact most normal people would have passed out already, perhaps even have died.

"I don't understand Elrya, how could she have hurt you?"

Elrya knew she couldn't answer that. She had nearly gave herself away when she had knocked Lucy away, Miriana did not need to know about vectors, she did not need to know the true monster that she was. After all, the young girl was one of her only friends; she didn't need to know the dark side of her past, or the dark side of her present either. "Ugh…agh…" Moaning excruciatingly, Elrya turned her head and glared at Nyu, attempting to bring out her vectors. She could strike a blow to her head, hit her brain and rupture a single blood vessel. Her death would be, unfortunately quick, but it wouldn't leave Miriana guessing too much. She would be surprised, scared and it would take some time to calm her down, but brain aneurisms were not impossible. Just a quick blow to the brain, quickly, a merciful end considering what the woman did to her before, it would be a calm and collect death. Then she would be free, free of the facility, free of the experiments, and free to spend the rest of her life with Miriana and Yin.

Yet the only thing she managed to do put more agony on her body, so much that it kept her from passing out cold. "Ugh…gah…ah…"

"It's alright Elrya, I'll call an ambulance right…"

"N-No!" Elrya cried, knowing that was the worst possible scenario imaginable. "D-Don't call them…Pl-Please…take me home."

"But Elrya, you're wounds are terrible, you can't possible go home and not get treated."

"I-I just can't, ugh…my horns."

Miriana gazed up at the white bumps on her friend's head and finally noticed that the young woman also had the same kind of horns. Were the two possibly related in any way?

"Elrya, you really need some help, I don't want to lose you." Elrya might've been moved to tears when she heard this, to hear such compassion from a person to herself. But the tears that came were filled with excruciating pain as her body gave way, leaving her gasping for air. In truth, while it would definitely take a while, even longer the brutality of that one experiment, she would heal up. Diclonius had unnatural healing properties, bordering on regeneration. As long as wounds were not lethal or too traumatic, such as missing limbs, things like cuts, bruises and broken bones would heal up. In her state, it would take a while, at least two weeks which only made things much worse now that she thought about it.

Even if she did kill Lucy there, how could she make contact with Garder? She'd be stuck in her bed at Yin's house with no way to make contact with Garder at all. The radio was at the tent near the cemetery, and thus, she was left without a single option. In short, Elrya was up the creek without a paddle, unable to do anything but let herself rest in bed. Garder had her tracked and what if, when she didn't call he decided to take a visit. It had been made quite clear that those in the facility with the exception of a very select few did not care about the pain they caused others. They would certainly come in and take her back, and if Yin or Miriana tried to interfere, they would most certainly kill them.

"Miriana, trust me I'll be fine, I'm sure Yin knows a few things on how to treat me…I…I…"

"Elrya!" Miriana yelled, as her friend finally slumped into unconsciousness. She looked at her, put her head to her chest, relieved to still hear her heart beat before gazing back over that confused Nyu.

* * *

><p>"Would you mind telling me what that was all about?" Roy asked, his voice low and eyes staring forward with odd cold vindictiveness. "I may not have the better knowledge on Diclonius like you do, Julius but I'm not blind. What did you mean when you said that person was not Lucy?"<p>

"As you know, all Diclonius give off a unique signature. That signature completely disappeared, almost as if she had died and was replaced by that…other person." Julius replied solemnly, noticing Roy's rather disgruntled attitude. The members of Cents all knew that each member held a specific reason for becoming assassin and to earn money in some form or way. Ever since they had been ordered to leave, Julius had taken great notice that Roy's normally calm and arrogant self was beginning to become greatly stressed.

"Roy, I'm not going ask if something is wrong but I would like to ask that you calm down."

"Do not tell me…to calm down…Diclonius." Roy whispered, not truly in control of emotions and Julius knew that as well.

"I do not mean any ill will towards you Roy, you were one of the few people to treat me as a person and not as an animal, I respect that and I respect you. I only ask that you relax for a moment and think clearly, you are still in charge of taking care of any mission that Garder or Vladimir sends out. Please, calm down and relax."

"…Alright…" Roy said, not too convincingly though.

The two members arrived at the Tokyo facility where Garder and their devilish smirking leader Vladimir waited, the former pushing his glasses up as he usually did and walking forward. He got what he could from the two, listening to what Julius had to say about Lucy's signature disappearing and stepped back to think clearly.

"You seem tense…5 cents, Roy The Sniper…" Vladimir spoke, almost mockingly, as if the dark smile upon his face was to laugh at the man in his attempt to rescue his son. Although Vladimir wouldn't have a clue about that, because that one of the things those members of Cents did not do, tell their leader of their reason. The only thing they said was that they had a reason and left it that. Roy knew very well that Vladimir had absolutely no moral values in the world, so much that if the man didn't find such enjoyment in making others suffer and wanting it to last, he would've committed suicide just to feel that blood rush of finally having his life ended. Vladimir was their leader, a good one at that and they respected him as a leader, but they also knew that Vladimir saw them as nothing more than tools of suffering. Roy knew quite well that Vladimir could go to the hospital and murder his son for the soul fact that it would, pass the time.

"I don't see, why we had to retreat when things were still going alright. Even with the girl that came, I still could've taken down Lucy, especially as Alya never appeared. Yet I was forced to come back, why?"

"Who knows, maybe Mister Zero over there will have some answers." Vladimir mockingly said, looking over at Garder who gazed over his shoulders. "The situation has changed too much, even you guys…most of you guys…" He added as an afterthought which only made Vladimir's smile widen even more. "…Aren't really into killing the innocent if you can, at least not killing those who you are not ordered to kill. The girl who came got in the way and it could quite possibly have jeopardized the mission, with addition of Lucy's sudden change, I did not want to rashly go into a situation that I had little knowledge about."

"I…understand Garder…" Roy said, not pleased but still able to understand what Garder was talking about. Yet it only meant that his son's already short time would dwindle even more, and he needed money for the operation and he needed it very soon.

"What do you want to do about Elrya? We still have her tracked and I've seen her with the girl before. It's most likely they're at the house she was living in with the other young man and from her wounds she won't be able to move around much for a while. This also may indicate that Elrya won't be able to contact us." Julius uttered while taking his hat off and brushing his hand through his pink hair to remove some of the bangs out of his eyes.

"I can still kill Elrya, in fact with her in such a weakened state, it would be easy. Julius can point me out to the house and I can kill her."

"No." Garder said seriously.

"Why not, Garder? The main reason you even got us together was to have that girl killed, you've admitted that she's too dangerous and even if Alya isn't there, she's still a very dangerous person."

"I don't think so, at least not now. It's like I've said, Alya is no longer influencing Elrya…"

"For who knows how long." Roy interrupted. "You want her dead, you want Lucy dead, I want to earn my reward. I will not stand here and be mocked for my skills; I've half the thought to attack you right now for making me go through this unnecessary crap!"

"I'm only doing what I think is beneficial…"

"No you aren't." Roy said again loudly, interrupting Garder and staring angrily at the slit eyed man. "What the hell is going on right now? You've given me the order; I've gone and followed it without hesitation. I've been willing to kill small children for you when you've been too weak to do it yourself. I will not stand here and be ordered around to do scout work without any sort of compromise. So here's the deal, either you cough up the 36,000 Yen, or I'm calling this off and you get the others to do your work."

Garder stared at Roy, knowing how serious he was before finally saying. "If you wish to let the other members work, you can leave then. You follow my orders and you do it as I say. You are an assassin; you earn your money by killing. When you kill, you earn."

Roy nearly lost it, his eyes flashed angrily but with a quick turn of his body he left and went back inside the facility. Garder gazed over at him for a short while before turning back to Vladimir whose smug face hadn't changed one bit. No, it was if possible even smugger than before that one might've wondered why his face had not split open from how wide he was smiling.

"Roy's right, you are just doing scout work, trying to pass the time in the hopes that something good will happen. You are faltering, slipping into a pacifist's coma. The deadly bloodlust that once filled you as a war veteran is shrinking, leaving nothing but a withered husk."

"I disagree…" Garder stated simply.

"Oh? I disagree with your disagreement. You're stuck in your own emotions, wanting to please a dead person with a dead promise and the only thing that its ended up doing and will end up doing is making more dead people."

"I disagree…" Garder again said simply.

"Ah…but I again disagree with your disagreement. I know that you don't have the same bloodlust as I do, most people can't truly appreciate what it is to suffer and cause suffering. I love every amount of suffering imaginable, from the cracking of a baby's skull to the cracking of my own. My pain, their pain, it is all one glorious pain. But you aren't stupid are you Garder? No your problem is the emotional connection that has caused you to forget the truth. You seem to have forgotten that Elrya and Alya are killers, not just normal killers, but of the most heinous kind. You've seen it yourself, watched it unfold, do you remember? Do you remember that day, that day 7 years ago? You surely do remember it, that day 7 years ago; I nearly had a spasm watching all those people die. It was splendid…"

"…"

"No words Garder? Don't deny it, don't falter from it, and don't remove yourself from it. It's there without a doubt; the truth isn't something that you can just ignore no matter how much you try."

"…"

"You know…" Vladimir said looking up almost hopefully at the ceiling. "I've never actually gotten the chance to meet Elrya and Alya in person. Perhaps I should pay them a visit soon."

"Do what you want, I won't stop you…" Garder said, walking away while Vladimir watched with dark happiness in his eyes. "I'll take your word for that…" He whispered. Garder as usual pushed his glasses up his nose, staring emotionlessly ahead of him and looking at his right hand, bleeding from clenching his fist so tightly.

* * *

><p>"Nyu?" The young woman chirped again walking up to Miriana and the unconscious Elrya and staring curiously at them. "Can you help me?" Miriana asked, getting her arms into a more comfortable position around Elrya's body, wincing slightly as she put some pressure on her burned chest. Nyu walked over looking at them curiously and again chirping her name out innocently.<p>

"My friend needs help, she's hurt really bad and I don't know what happened. Please can you help me bring her home?"

"Nyu?" She said again while Miriana sighed and started to half carry and half drag Elrya before she felt the sudden weight lift off of her. "Thank you!" Miriana breathed happily as the young woman helped Miriana carry Elrya. Nyu, smiling brightly at being able to help and please someone gave another one of her high pitched chirps.

"Elrya!" Yin yelled seeing the battered and brutal state of the girl and helping her to her bedroom. "We need to call a hospital right away…" He said, reaching for the phone.

"No." Miriana yelled, causing Yin to look at her strangely. "Ummm, Elrya said she didn't want a hospital called, she was pretty adamant about it too. Are you sure there's nothing you can do here?"

"Miriana, judging from Elrya's body she may have more than just broken bones, she could have some terrible internal injuries as well, I'm honestly surprised that she's even alive right now. Bed rest won't be enough and if she doesn't get the proper medical attention she could die. Let me clean her up and then I'll take her to the nearest hospital for treatment. You wouldn't have had any idea what happened?

"I don't know if that's a good idea…" Miriana mumbled, knowing how Elrya had nearly begged not to be taken to a hospital. "…I don't know…how she got like that either. When I came she was on the ground and that other girl was there. I don't know…I don't know…I don't…" Yin calmly put his hand on her shoulder, knowing the girl was going into an emotional breakdown and needed to be calmed down. "Alright…both you and apparently Elrya were obdurate on this, so I'll do what I can. However the moment her injuries get the moment worse I will take her to the hospital. I do hope you're right because if the girl dies, it's going on my soul." Yin gently lifted Elrya up whose body instinctively curled up against his arms as if seeking warmth and brought her back inside the house, getting any medical supplies he could and wrappings. He had adept medical skills and he was capable of mending broken bones and other injuries inside and out. However not once had he ever encountered someone who was this beaten especially as he knew that her young frail body, already body already slashed and beaten before as he had seen before, couldn't possibly take the amount of suffering it was certainly going through. His last thoughts trailed to the other girl outside, horns just as visible and wondered if she and Elrya were related in anyway.

Outside Miriana was suddenly caught surprised by the other pink haired girl who came up to her, stating her name again and again as if asking a question.

"Do you need some help?" Miriana asked kindly.

"Nyu!"

"Umm, I'll see what I can do, want to show me what you want?"

"Nyu! Nyu…Nyuu…" She kept making her hand gestures and Miriana, being the kind girl she was kept calm and smiled trying to help the young woman out.

"Is it a person?" She asked.

"Nyu!" Nyu nodded smiling. "N-Nyu find…"

Miriana gasped as the first legitimate word came out of the girl's mouth.

"Nyu find…Nyu want find…"

"Sure, I'll help you find…ummm…who?" Miriana asked.

"Nyu find…Nyu find…Kouta…"

"You want me to help you find this…Kouta guy?" Miriana queried, getting another happy nod from Nyu and taking her hand Miriana let Nyu lead her away.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another chapter done, thanks for all thsoe who are reading the story and I do hope your enjoying it too. We're not even a quarter done with the story yet so keep reading and keep enjoying.<p> 


	14. Welcome To My Life

**Chapter 14: Welcome To My Life**

"Haa…Haa…Haa…"

Each gasping breath made Yin flinch and each time her chest rattled painfully; he had to resist the urge to punch the wall with all of his might. "Elrya…are you awake…?" He asked softly watching as the girl's eyelids fluttered and opened slowly. "Ow…ugh…agh…Y-Yin?" She asked her voice breaking apart as if speaking mere syllables was enough to cause her great angst. She lying on her comfortable bed, pillows propping her head up and warm rags placed on her forehead. Her arms and torso was bandaged up and she realized that the pain wasn't from her wounds now but from the pure exhaustion her body was going through. Not even at the facility had she gone through such tormenting pain, though she believed there had been times when it had come close. Her body wasn't used to this amount of damage to it and was having a much harder time coping with it than even she imagined.

"Elrya, I must insist that we take you to a hospital right away." Yin stated seriously. "You're wounds are far too…"

"N-No…I can't. I can't go…ugh…to…haa…haa…haa…" She had to take a minute to breathe before continuing. "…I can't go; please you have no idea the kind of trouble that will cause."

"What trouble? Elrya if you haven't noticed already you are in a horrible state. Both of your arms have snapped, I'm sure at least 6 ribs are broken, major damage to your entire torso which I'm sure isn't helping those already bad wounds you had now. Elrya stop trying to hide things from me, what happened to you?"

"…I…I can't tell you." She whispered.

"Why not? We're you raped?" He asked. She chuckled, legitimately happy to hear how much he cared.

"No, nothing like that…" She said, which was true enough, certainly dirty looks were given but even if someone had gotten the nerve to touch her body in such a way, she wouldn't have let them get far.

"Then you were abused and badly too. Elrya were your parents abusive."

"No…" Elrya said plainly. "I…ugh…" She coughed, turning slightly and wincing. "I don't…remember my parents that much. I remember my mother the most…and even that's shady but they never abused me."

"Elrya, please I'm trying to help you, please. If you keep hiding these secrets away from me, Miriana or anyone for that matter, we have no way of helping you. I can see those wounds and it's not just physical, it's mental too. What have you been through?"

"I'm sorry…" She whispered. "I-I just can't tell you. It's for your own safety, Miriana's as well."

"Elrya, listen to me…" Yin said, sounding even more mature and serious than he intended, but also meaning to sound the way all the same. "If you've been hurt, or abused, or heaven's forbid, raped, you need to tell me. We can get you help, get officials to look into your well-being and bring whoever did this to you to justice."

"…You can't…" She replied heavily. "You can't help me, I shouldn't even be here."

"Elrya, please…I want to be your friend but I can't help you if you aren't willing to be helped."

"…I can't tell you." She said as solemnly as she could. "If I told you, it would put you and Miriana into so much danger. I shouldn't even be here, the fact that I'm here anyways already puts you and Miriana in danger. You have no idea, I'm sorry."

"…I'm going to make a wild guess, but does it have anything to do with your horns?" Yin asked. Elrya clenched her eyes tightly, why did his intuition have to be so damn good? She swallowed deeply, nearly choking on her own spit that was settling in her throat she was so tensed and turning her head away so she couldn't look at him, she answered back with sad conviction. "You have no idea…what I had to go through. Abuse, that doesn't come close the things I've had to endure. Yet I just can't tell you, not now, not yet and maybe not ever."

"But why Elrya? You can't keep hurting yourself like this…"

"It's not me!" She shrieked back, coughing and retching as she put new pressure on her body yet she continue to yell back at him all the same. "It has nothing to do with me! You have no idea what I had to go through, not a single clue but it isn't why I can't tell you!"

"Then why? Tell me why!" Yin exclaimed.

"Because you're my friend!" She shrieked back, tears spilling from her eyes, catching him completely off guard with that statement. "You have no idea…what people like me, with our horns are treated like. Everything, every single damn thing was nothing but pain, always inflicted on me by other humans but you…you were different! You didn't care that I had horns, you didn't care that I was different, you hardly recognized it! You saw me as an equal! No…you saw me…as a human, as a real person and not as a…" She stopped mid-sentence.

"…As a what?" Yin asked.

"I can't tell you, only that I'm not human."

"Elrya, those horns do not mean that you are not human. They may be bone mutations, a minor genetic defect that…"

"Kahahahaha!" She laughed, laughed hard too and ignored the pain that it gave as it racked her beaten body. "Mutation? Genetic Defect? Yin…do you honestly think if it was that simple, I would be having this conversation with you? Alright Yin, I'll tell you a bit, not everything and don't try to force me either."

"Alright." Yin said, knowing that this might be the only time to at least here a little bit about this mysterious girl.

"…Miriana probably told you that I went out to take a…morning stroll. Well I didn't, there was a woman that was coming, a very dangerous one at that. She did this to me, and don't bother asking how because I wouldn't tell you anyways. She was dangerous, perhaps the most dangerous woman ever and I was afraid that if she came here, she had come here, you and Miriana would be killed."

"…Elrya…"

"You have no idea, how much it meant to me to have you and Miriana befriend me, help me and treat me like you are now. You have no idea, not a single clue. Ugh!"

"Elrya!" Yin yelled, putting a relaxing hand on her shoulder as her body contorted and a thin trail of blood ran down her lips. "That's it, I'm getting you to a doctor right away, I'm not qualified for this…"

"Don't…" She whined loudly, crying, crying for the sake of a human. Oh yeah she lost it alright, but if this was insanity, to be befriended and loved, then she wanted to be the most insane person in the world. "Trust me; in a week it'll look like I wasn't in such a wreck and after another week, I'll be almost good as new."

"I don't believe you, I can't believe you're even conscious, I can't believe I'm even having this conversation with you. Sorry, but I won't be responsible for the death of a young girl." He said seriously, walking up to his phone and dialing quickly. "St-stop it…" Elrya rasped, trying to raise one of her own broken arms and wincing as she did so. "Please, Yin you don't understand, I can't go to a hospital, I can't, and I shouldn't even be here. I've put you and Miriana into so much danger. Please!"

"Elrya…what on earth happened to you?"

"Whatever you think is pretty much correct, I was heavily abused and yet it's not even a fraction of the truth. I just can't tell you because if I did…you would probably die. No, you would die, they would come and kill you for knowing too much."

"They?"

Elrya cackled painfully at this. "Damn you ask too many questions, Is it not enough to just believe me? I can't tell you, I don't want to tell you, I do not want you or Miriana to get hurt. You two are my only friends besides Alya and I don't even know where she is."

"You mentioned this Alya before, would you mind telling me who she is? Or is that too much to ask also." Yin said, his voice stern and heavy. Sighing deeply, Elrya thought and decided to at least give a brief overview of her best friend. "Alya is my best friend in the whole world, she helped me keep my sanity when I was being heavily abused. She's like a sister, hell she could even be my twin we're so similar. She's the bravest and strongest girl I know, and I only wish I knew where she was. I was sent along with her to find that girl who did this to me, but after the incident when you found me, I lost her. Maybe their torturing her…" She mumbled at the end, sweating on the bed sheets while Yin got up quickly and went to see what he could do about her rising temperature. "Look at yourself, you've clearly gotten it worse than you think, you must have caught something during that fight."

"Ugh…he may be right…" Elrya thought. "I feel awful, but it doesn't feel physical at all, it feel like my mind is on fire. OW!" She shrieked, closing her eyes tightly while Yin instantly came over looking mortified. "My head! Ugh, I can't…concentrate at all…" She muttered, the searing flash of agony so great that it made every other wound on her body miniscule in comparison. Yin rushed over to the bathroom and filled the rag with cooler water, placing it over her head, hoping to cool something that had nothing to do with a high temperature in the first place. The action however was enough to calm Elrya's mind and make her breathing relax a bit more. "Ah…thanks…" She whispered appreciatively, eyes closing and her breathing returning back to normal.

"Alright, do you think you can prop up on the pillow, it'll make yourself more comfortable and put less stress on your body." Yin said, helping her in the process and once she was settled he said apologetically, "Sorry about this Elrya…" And smashed his fist harshly against her face, sending the back of her head smashing against the bed post and leaving her yelling and mortified.

"Aaaaaaaargh! Damn! Ahhhhhhhhh! Ugh! Guh! Gah!...Wh-What was…that for…Yin?" She gasped, spitting up blood and nearly vomiting as her body contorted into another round of hellish agony. "Elrya…" Yin spoke with deadly seriousness in his voice. "I wanted to help you because I thought that you needed a home, especially with the way you were acting the first time I saw you. I was correct in my thinking, you were abused, heavily and I don't even know the beginning of it. You keep talking about our own safety when in turn you aren't thinking of your own, and quite frankly I hate it. I'm sorry for hitting you, but I need you to tell me the truth because even if you didn't mean too, by not telling us the truth you're already putting us in danger. I want to help you, Elrya."

"...Ow…you really hit me hard…" She said, rubbing the side of her face against her pillow as rubbing it with her arms was kind of out the question. "You aren't making this easy on me you know Yin."

"I could say the same to you Elrya."

"Alright, you obviously aren't going to give up on this and I guess I don't have much of a choice. I…" But she stopped, unable to say anything because she knew that if she told him, he and Miriana most likely would be killed. She knew Garder had her tracked and she wouldn't have been surprised if he was listening to their conversation already. She may have told too much already so it wouldn't have mattered anyways.

"…I lived for most of my life in a facility…" She said solemnly. "There are other people…horned people like myself…who are tortured, abused and ultimately tested on. Those cuts, bruises and wounds you saw on me that day, all of them, every single one of them are from hellish experimentations. That's my life, my only life, We are not treated as humans, we are treated as less which is why I could hardly believe the kindness you and Miriana showed. I…" She stopped abruptly, turning her head and looking away from Yin.

"I refuse to say anymore, I've already said too much as it is." She replied heavily before wincing. "Did you really have to hit me so hard?" She asked tenderly rubbing her face on the side of the pillow again.

"Fine…get some rest while I wait for Miriana to come back. One question though, who was that girl that came with you and Miriana?"

"I…have absolutely no clue." Elrya answered back sheepishly.

* * *

><p>"So what does this guy look like?" Miriana asked her ditzy companion and sighing mentally as the girl gave the usual array of incomprehensible "Nyu! Nyu!" So instead Miriana decided to go through a different approach. "Does he have black hair?" She asked.<p>

"Nyu!" The girl cried cheerfully nodding her head fervently. Well that knocked the population of Kamakura about 1%, so Miriana thought of any other yes/no questions she could think of that would be easy to answer. "Does he live with anybody else?"

"Nyu!" Again another nod. "Nyu live Kouta, Nyu live Mayu, Nyu live Yuka, Nyu live Nana!"

"Sounds like a lot of people, you must be good friends with them." Miriana replied, earning a broad smile from her companion. "It's always good to have friends, when people don't have friends, they often get lonely. I remember when I…didn't have any friends." Miriana began softly as Nyu looked quizzically over at her. "But not anymore, I've got a friend and I even have another friend although I kind of see him more as a father figure than anything. My parents died a long time ago in a car crash and I was badly burned in it. Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blabber on…huh!" Miriana interrupted mid-sentence was struck from the front by a hug from the pink haired girl. "Nyu friend! Nyu friend!" She said again and again.

"You want to be my friend too?" Miriana asked, genuinely surprised at this suddenly outburst and when the girl nodded, a wide smile spread across Miriana's face. "That's wonderful! Thank you for being my friend! Thank you! Now I have Elrya and you as my friends! Oh…you still don't have any idea what you were doing with Elrya do you?"

"Nyu?"

"I didn't think so."

The two continued on, Miriana following Nyu wherever she went in the hopes that the girl had some clue of where to go. Nyu, despite her infantile nature did have a slight idea of where to go. She knew what Maple Inn looked like but she didn't have much of an idea of the outside area around it, therefore she was going to the next place she knew, the beach. That was the first place she had met Kouta and Yuka and even she knew that if she went there, she could get an idea of where to go to next.

"The beach sure is nice today isn't it?" The blonde and black haired girl said jovially, kicking the sand lightly and watching the other people play in the sand water. "Nyu!" The girl answered back with her usual cheerful chirp and realizing that the beach looked the same everywhere she went. This didn't deter the Diclonius as she seemed even more determined to find her home. They continued walking into the more crowded section, some of the people were giving Nyu strange looks that could've been either from her horns or the fact that her body was slightly beaten and in her clothes in some tatters.

"Good afternoon sir!" Miriana yelled out, waving to the man that was leaning against the side of the shack, knee raised and arm draped over it. "Yeah…yeah…afternoon…whatever…" Bando growled under his breath, still dozing off as Miriana and the very person he had vowed to kill without hesitation walked off without his notice. "

"Loud ass people…seriously…" Bando grumbled under his breath, eyes still closed while he began thinking of all the possible ways he was going to beat that pink haired bitch senseless. "Blind her that'll keep her down…and a gas grenade too, double up the pain for her. Got to remember those two meters, eh might want to make it a bit more, just in case. Oh yeah definitely break her arm…yeah that'll do nicely. Maybe I'll blow her up with a rocket…her face should be priceless."

Although they seemed to be getting nowhere fast, Miriana was hardly angry and in fact was almost ecstatically happy to the point where she was now skipping across the sand. For her, she was innocent, in the purest sense of the word. She loved the world, she loved the people in it and she loved every good thing it had to offer. She didn't care who they were, be it male, female, straight, gay, lesbian, religious, non-religious all of it was equal to her. More so, she wanted to make any person that looked sad or unhappy, cheerful and loving. Nobody should ever go on being unhappy or without a friend because she knew exactly how it felt.

"Nyu!" Nyu cried making a mad dash to an area up near the town that seemed familiar while Miriana gave chase. She raced across the street much to the anger of the drivers that slid into stops and finally Nyu and Miriana after catching up and panting heavily came up to a large Inn. "Nyu home! Nyu home!"

"This is it! Ah hello." She said as a young brown haired woman came out.

"Oh Nyu!" Yuka cried out alarm, seeing the beaten figure of the ditzy girl. "Oh my you're covered in wounds Nyu! Young lady what happened?"

"I don't know." Miriana said truthfully shrugging her shoulders. "She was with my other friend and they were both hurt pretty badly, I'm not sure what happened. I've been with her trying to find her home which luckily we did. She's a very nice person."

"Well thank you. We've very grateful for helping Nyu, it's not the first time she's gotten out. Thank you very much again!"

"You're welcome. Now that I know where you all live, if you ever need me to bring her back I will. We became good friends along the way. Well I'm going to get going, it was nice talking to you. She said there was other people living there too, a Kouta specifically, tell him and the others I said hello also."

"I will…" Yuka said kindly.

* * *

><p>Smiling broadly Miriana skipped down the steps looking up at the sky , watching the white clouds pass over the blue skies. She had to hurry though, Elrya had been hurt badly and she wanted to help her in any way that she could.<p>

"Hello young girl…"

"Hm?" Miriana mumbled aloud seeing some man sitting on some steps, his figure mostly obscured by shadows. His outfit seemed oddly strange, but with her good nature, Miriana would never have said anything bad about it anyways.

Little children shouldn't run out alone…"

"I'm not a child!" Miriana said with a smile as if she thought the man was joking. "But you are right, it is very dangerous."

"Good. You should go your friends, your family, and your loved ones. What's your name by the way, my little friend?"

"I'm Miriana! Kusoku Miriana." The girl answered back walking up to the man as he raised his hand and patted her head simply, earning a soft laugh from the innocent girl. "What a nice name. It's the name of a truly innocent person, good will and ready to bring happiness to everyone around her."

"I love helping people! I don't think anyone in the world should ever be unhappy. I think everyone has a little bit of good in them, even if it's locked away. What's your name sir?"

"My name…" The man began, still patting her head gently.

"…Is Vladimir Cents."

"Well it was nice meeting you Cents-san, I don't want to keep Elrya and Yin waiting so I need to go. Have a good night!" She called out while Vladimir watched her skip away.

"How interesting, you sure do meet some interesting people Elrya. Such an innocent and loving little girl, her heart filled with so much joy. I've never seen such innocence in my life, not even from a first born baby. That girl would be an angel, the kindest most gentlest angel that has ever existed. Ahhh…" He sighed, leaning back and raising the hand that had patted her head gently.

"I should be more careful next time; I nearly crushed her brain between my fingers. So what are you up to now dear Elrya? Are your thoughts ones of pleasantry? You know this has become more interesting than even I could've expected. Before this was merely another kill, just to have you slaughtered and earn the pay check. Yet…somehow I believe you are much different from the rest, that's intrigues me. Things are about to get even more dangerous though…all the excitement makes my blood boil!"

"You seem…happy…" Julius said sternly, walking up to his leader and leaning against the building with his arms crossed, his entire face hidden behind his hat. "…happier than usual, if that means anything."

"Oh? When did you get here Zero Point?" Vladimir asked sarcastically.

"You knew I was here…" Julius replied absentmindedly. "Garder has made the final decision, kill Elrya."

"Oh? So he's finally said it, without hesitation, without qualm or fear? He's given the order to finally and without delay, to kill her. Hahahaha! Now we're talking!" Vladimir yelled, pulling one of the thin metal pieces that were lodged into his shoulders out, slowly licking the blood and putting it back into the same wound that it come out of. "This should make Roy quite happy, tell him to go kill the girl. Show him where she lives but don't go with him."

"I don't think Roy will have a problem finding her attempting to kill Elrya. I just don't think he'll be letting us give him the order."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"I just got word that Roy's son, who has been in extensive care recently passed away a few hours ago. Needless to say, Roy is not taking it easy."

"You mean The Sniper is in a mental shutdown, and is blaming Elrya for his son's death."

"…Needless to say, it's not going to be much of a fight in her condition." Julius muttered.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Took me a little while to get this chapter done but at last I finished it. Elrya, bloody, beaten but alive tells Yin a lot about her psat and her abuse and yet at the same time, holds a lot of information back. Meanwhile, Miriana helps the clueless Nyu find her home and has a run in with none other than Vladimir himself, yet despite comming up to the most dangerous man in the world, the young girl is almost perpeually happy, suprising even Cents himself. But not everyone is happy apparently, Roy's comming back, and this time it seems he's determined to finally pull the trigger.<p> 


	15. The Fifth Cent Expression

**Chapter 15: The Fifth Cent Expression**

_2 hours ago…_

It wasn't anything new; he got calls on his son's predicament all the time so in truth he shouldn't have been surprised when his phone rang. Perhaps it was his already volatile demeanor, having to leave the prey and come back because Garder was being too much of a damn coward to get the job done himself and when he sends assassins out, he just calls them back in. Although, deep down he knew the moment the call came in, the moment he felt the very first vibration of his phone in his pocket, he knew something was bad. Something was wrong, so terribly wrong that he was beginning to sweat profusely and when he picked up the phone he dropped it carelessly on the floor.

For a moment, for two full rings he just looked at it, shaking his head and muttering under his breath. "It's just a routine call…it's just a routine call…" But it wasn't routine, it was far more than just any routine call that came to him. Could he answer it, could he possibly answer that phone? Could he possibly answer a call that was making him sweat more than any kill he had made, or any threat of death ever made of him?

"This is…Roy…what's up?" He answered hesitantly.

"Roy…" The doctor that Roy had known to be taking care of his son said gravely, no amount of happiness, delight or good conviction in his voice. "…You need to come down, immediately."

"Immediately? Doctor, what's going on…how is my s-"

"Just come, right now…"

* * *

><p>He rushed in, paying no attention as the nurses, doctors, guests and patience gave surprised outcries as he burst through, not bothering to change into his civilian clothes and thus ran through the hospital in his usual thick jeans and no shirt, even going as far as to bring his gun which of course only added to the immense amount of stress in the already chaotic hospital.<p>

"Is that a gun? Somebody call security!" A voice broke out, but Roy ignored it, hell he hardly knew he had even brought his gun. He wasn't thinking about anything except one thing and that was coming to see his son, resting well in bed, perhaps looking sickened but still resting well without harm. At his pace, he'd reach the room in less than a minute, yet every step seemed to take hours and he could almost hear the beeping of the machine slowing to a crawl, the machine that designated whether Koroh got to live or die.

The door burst open and the doctor fell back in horror. "R-Roy! What the hell are you doing with that thing?" He yelled, gazing at the large rifle that dropped to the floor mundanely as Roy rushed over to the bed side. "Huh? What?" He mumbled.

Synth Koroh, his son was entirely white in the face, each breathing gasp threatening to tear his life away. Small drips of saliva along with vomit had puddled together at the edge of the bed, dripping down sickeningly onto the floor, and bringing a horrific stench into the room. "What happened to him? Doctor what's wrong with him?"

"Roy! What did you bring that…"

"ANSWER ME!" The Sniper roared, glaring at the doctor and holding his son's head in his arm. "What the hell happened to him? It wasn't even that long ago and now he's gotten this worse? We're you not watching him?"

"Roy, please listen…"

"What? What the hell happened, why did you not call me in earlier? Why did you wait until now to tell me he had gotten like this?"

"I'm sorry Roy, it happened so suddenly, in a case like this, there's really no way to keep track of his predicament. His disease fluctuates rapidly and without pause at times. Trust me had I known about this sooner I would've called you but..."

"What can we do?" he asked, rubbing his son's hair tenderly with his hand.

"Roy…there is nothing we can do."

"I want solutions…not apologies…" He growled dangerously, glaring with dark eyes at the doctor who took another step back in alarm. "If he dies…what else do I have left?"

"Roy?"

"I did not become a killer, hunting down men, women and children for the sake of my son just have him die. Now do something!"

"What are you talking about? Killer? There's nothing we can do!"

"LIAR! DO SOMETHING NOW OR I SWEAR I'LL BLOW YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!"

"Y-You aren't thinking straight Roy, you need to calm down…Ah!" The doctor stopped mid-sentence as Roy's took his gun, swung it around so that the tip was pressed against the doctor's forehead, sweat dripping down onto the muzzle. The trigger finger shook hastily, Roy's teeth clenched and grinding together.

"Do not tell me to think straight! I am thinking straight! I've been thinking straight for over 29 fucking years! If I hadn't been thinking straight for so long, I'd be dead! Dealing with all the fucking things in the world. Dealing with fucking demons for the past fucking years!"

"Demons?"

"Ah that's right…you don't know…" He uttered coldly. "That's right; demons exist, fucking horned little children who have this annoying thing to be quite tenacious. That girl…was supposed to die today but instead I came back, was forced back. I can't even begin to stand…"

"Father…?"

Suddenly the room went silent, Roy turning his head slowly to look at the weak eyes of his son. "F-Father…you aren't…a killer are you?"

How much had he let out? How much had his son heard?

"F-F-Father…you said you…killed people? Children, but that can't be true."

"I…uh…I…"

The boy coughed violently and yet it seemed minute compared to the tension in the room now. "Is…that your special job? How can you even do that? You aren't a killer! Ugh…guh…you aren't a killer…right?"

What could he say? What could he tell him, as he lay there dying at giving off his last breaths? Lie to him; tell him that he wasn't a killer who had tried to earn the money to get his operation? No, the boy knew, his question wasn't one of curiosity but of disappointment. The amount of disappointment leaking from the tears of his son's eyes was more than enough to make Roy's own heart break.

"Ugh…why papa? Ugh…why?"

"Koroh!" Roy yelled, reaching out and yet to his horror his son smacked it weakly away. What else can be seen but dark regret in those little eyes? Laid to rest with a terrible sickness and yet always holding a happy smile because he had always seen his father as a role model, a person that he always looked up to. He had no idea, the amount of trouble Roy had gone through, to try and save him, yet there was nothing at all but disappointment anger in those eyes now. The kid began to convulse, spitting up vomit and blood while Roy clutched his face, mortified.

"I…I…Uh…I'm no…no…I need more time…no…"

And then the boy flat lined. Nothing, no movement, eyes closed and glazed over. Roy paused, mouth parted slightly as he reached over to pat his son's head and stopped, as if fearing that he would flinch if he touched him.

_Killer_

That was the last thing his son, whom had always looked up to him remembered.

_Murderer_

"Roy?" The doctor mumbled. "Roy! Roy! Roy! What are you doing with that gun! Roy!"

Sure enough, almost absentmindedly Roy's hand picked up the gun, his finger on the trigger and his eyes starring like blank disks at it. "Roy! Get a hold of yourself Roy! Roy! What are you doing?"

"Do you know…how hard I had to work…to come this far?" He whispered, still starring at the rifle. "Do you want to know, what my specialized job is? The job that I've been doing so many years to help his operation?

5 cents, Roy Synth…codenamed, The Sniper. 27 people I have killed in total, 10 men, 10 women, 7 children. All of them, to earn the cash needed to his operation. Why didn't I get a normal job? Why did I go so far you might ask? Well how else would I have gotten the large amount of Yen needed to get the materials for the operation? Isn't it amazing how far a person will go for just a single person; and now that person is gone and the last thing he saw was a murderer?"

"R-Roy?"

"Keh…Kehkeh…Kehehe…KAHAHAHAHAHA! HA! HA! HA!" Roy threw his head back and laughs, laughed hard and viciously, bursting into a fit of near insane laughter before breathing in and sighing before getting up, putting his gun over his shoulder.

"What are you going to do Roy?" The doctor asked nervously.

"I do not hold you responsible, doctor. You've been there, helping out Koroh this long. However I may go insane if I keep all of this emotion in me, so I'm off. I'm off to find Little Elrya, and finally pull the trigger against her."

"No Roy! Think before you act, you can't go and kill a…"

"Do not interfere!" Roy yelled, silencing the doctor instantly. "My dreams have been shattered, my life has been shattered all because of this stupid little girl! Even if she isn't at fault, I will kill her anyways because she's the last remnant of this pain filled torture! I'm going to shoot her down, quickly, slowly, painfully, softly, it really doesn't matter to me anymore. I am a member of Cents, a group of well-trained assassins." While he spoke, Roy raised his hand, showing the silver coined etched into the back of it.

"Each member of Cents kills to earn money and to earn that is for a specific reason. I think you already know what my reason was, and now it's gone, vanished, depleted and destroyed and all that I have left of it is the hate filled gaze of my son! I am a murderer, a killer destined for Hell and it would seem people as evil as me aren't meant to be happy! So I'm going to take all of my frustration out on that girl, and then go back to my day to day business of killing, because it's all I have left now.

"You don't have to do this Roy. There are better ways, you could seek help." The doctor pleaded.

"No. I'm going now, do not interfere or I will end your life as well." Roy muttered before looking over at the deceased body of his son, narrowing his eyes sadly. "First Orasami, now Koroh…

First…

The first time…

Is always…

…so memorable."

* * *

><p>May 2nd 1998<p>

The cherry blossoms fluttered calmly in the Spring time air, lighting the world up with the refreshing pink glow that seemed to lift most spirits up from the months of cold Winter. The city of Tokyo is bustling with the day to day activities that always surround it, people walk by just as the jet flew into the pathway and the people rushed out in a hurry.

One man stood visibly out, even if he didn't want to, but as the bright blue hair decreed that his presence be known. Carrying his suitcase packed with the essentials that he would need, Roy looked up at the bright and dazzling world of the east, taking in the breathtaking scenery with what might have well have been a deadpanned yawn.

"Well…" He muttered, looking up at the sighs all around him. "I guess I can't complain too much, hopefully they'll have a bar somewhere soon. I've heard of a place that has some good sake." Roy for his most part tried to ignore the glances he was given, he knew foreigners would be given looks regardless of where they went but he also knew that with his brightly colored hair he stood out like a sore thumb. He also knew that there was no point telling anyone his hair was its natural color because hell even he didn't believe it. It probably didn't help that he also kept it in such disarray that had he not been wearing a suit (something he wasn't used to wearing anyway) they might have thought him some sort of punk.

"Oi, Synth-san!"

It took a moment for Roy to register the respectful honorific to his name before turning to see an old man in his late 70s, short and squat but with a kind face. Roy walked over to him, trying to remember any and all respectable Japanese customs he could think of. Stopping at the stopped old man, he gazed up, thinking deeply before in a most awkward manner bowed clumsily while muttering "Konnichiwa." He seemed to realize how foolishly foreign he looked because the old man was looking at him with an skeptical look on his face before suddenly bursting out into a wheezing fit of laughter.

"Ha…Ha…Ha…Ha…Ha…Roy…you try too hard." He said, clutching his forehead and wiping off a bead of sweat. "My name is Ito Hideki, I'm one of your father's business employers for the business joint operation between Japan and Australia. It's good to see you, I've heard a lot about you from your father."

"You probably heard a lot of untrue stuff too." Roy said laughing and putting a hand behind his head in embarrassment, knowing exactly how his father was.

_I was born in Sydney, Australia, a single son of loving father and mother. I was always a good son, I did my best to obey the law but I had tendency to act up sometime. I liked living wild, hanging out with friends, drinking, partying and shooting. I loved the feel of a rifle in my hands, shooting at the targets, honing my skills and accuracy. It was strange because none of the other members of my family blood or not had almost anything to do with weapons. I also wasn't into violence as a whole, I just enjoyed the feel of a gun in my hand. _

_I think the reason I liked it so much, was because it was the one thing that I could truly connect too. Of course back then I never would've thought I'd even be going outside the Sydney border much less off the actual continent much less actually fall in love with somebody in Japan._

_I was on a pure business trip to help with my transactions for my father. I didn't expect much to happen..."_

* * *

><p>"Oh!" Roy stumbled, lost his balance and roughly ran into somebody while he heard multiple bags fall onto the floor. "Oh crap! Crap! I'm sorry…excuse me." He said, shaking his head and raising his hand defensively. "I wasn't looking at where I was going and…"<p>

"Don't be sorry, it was own fault." The voice belonged to a young woman, no older than 20 with stunning brown hair and a small figure that in most part seemed almost childlike. She looked at him curiously for a second after she got a good luck before smiling sweetly. "If you don't mind me saying, I think your hair dye is pretty nice, it brings out the color in the air." She said.

"Hm?" Roy said absentmindedly picking at a strand. "Actually this isn't my natural hair color. I know it's kind of weird but it's true."

"Really?" She asked curiously.

"Yes, it's kind of an enigma almost, but my hair has always been blue. I get a lot looks so I'm thinking of dying it a natural looking color."

"I don't think you should." The woman said kindly, causing Roy to blush slightly and laugh again, trying to keep himself composed. "It's like I said, it brings out the color in the air. Oh I'm so rude! I haven't even told you my name!" She said, her face flustered slightly.

"Ito Orasami."

The name struck a familiar chord in his thoughts. "Excuse me, but would you happen to be related to Ito Hideki?"

"Ah yes! How do you know my grandfather?"

"He's one of my father's business partners for our business joint operation between Japan and Australia. He's the one who provided me with my hotel and some other expenses."

"Oh, so you're from Australia?" She asked curiously, tilting her head to the side.

"Yes, although you might not know it. I don't have an accent like most Australians so people often don't know where I'm from. It's probably because I have multiple origins in my family including Spanish and even Bulgarian."

"That's so interesting." Orasami cried out, genuinely surprised. "That makes sense, I can tell you have an accent but I couldn't tell exactly where. You speak Japanese pretty fluently though, how long have you lived here?" She asked.

"Actually this is the first time I've actually been to Japan. My father usually makes the trips while I'm back in Sydney doing other work. However because I have to speak with my father's colleagues and other business partners, I've had to learn other languages. I'm not perfect but I can get by at least. I'm only supposed to be here for about another week and then I'm taking the next flight back to Sydney."

"Oh? So you aren't staying for long, that's sad I was hoping you could stay a bit longer. You know you should stop by our house and have dinner with us some time."

"Huh?" Roy uttered, wondering how this conversation got to this point. "Hm, well I don't suppose that would hurt. Besides I can talk to your grandfather as well on anything important that's come up."

"Yes. Oh I didn't catch your name?"

"Roy Synth." He said…"Or…Synth Roy if it makes it easier. I'm still not used to the customs yet I'm afraid."

Surprisingly the woman gave a soft chuckle and bowed. "Well it was nice meeting you Synth-san, I hope to see you around again."

_It was just a meeting, just a simple meeting between two people. You don't have a clue what will happen when you meet someone, you have no idea at all. She was a kind woman, cute and polite but nothing more than that. It's not like I didn't like her, it was just that at that point I barely knew her. _

_We did meet again though and surprisingly enough we always ended up talking to each other. It was strange because I had always seen myself as a loner yet, our conversations were always interesting and even more surprisingly we enjoyed talking to each other. I wasn't about to go as far as saying I loved her though, we hardly knew each other. _

_The final week came, the time where I was scheduled to return back to Sydney. I had gotten to know Orasami quite well even with the short time period that we saw each other. She was one of the very few people that I could have interesting conversations with. Her grandfather apparently agreed also because he often left us alone to talk with each other, something that I knew he was trying to do anyways. I might be ignorant on some things but I'm not a complete idiot, but it didn't bother me. _

_I liked her…as a person but did I love her? Well obviously later on I would, but I thought of ourselves as god friends. She even seemed interested in my hobby with rifles which surprised me really. I always thought she'd be more of the timid type._

_We agreed to keep in contact with each other even after I went back to Sydney and I promised that during my next trip back to Japan I would come visit her and her grandfather. It was a year later, but finally I did return._

* * *

><p>"Synth-san!" Orasami said, waving over as the blue haired man stepped off the plane, holding his usual suitcase.<p>

"Orasami-san, have you been waiting this whole time?" He asked, stretching his arms in the process. "I thought your grandfather would be waiting for me instead."

"Actually I asked to see you myself." Orasami spoke with a small smile on her face. He always liked that sweet little smile; it was a genuine happy little smile.

"Well thank you, I appreciate it." Roy said calmly, smiling back politely.

"Hey Roy…can I ask you something?" Orasami asked while she and Roy stood out from the balcony of her home the star glittering from the black skies above. "Even though it hasn't been so long, I feel like I've known you for a long time. This is kind of embarrassing but…I really like you."

"Oh?" He mumbled, looking around and wondering how the heck this conversation got like this.

"No…" She said smiling. "Not just as a friend, more than that. I wanted to ask you…if you…maybe wanted to spend more time together." She blushed and Roy knew exactly what she meant even if she did have to word it differently. It didn't stop him from blushing as well.

"Aren't I supposed to be asking something like that?" He asked.

"Well…I…guess." Orasami said timidly. She closed her eyes, squirmed and shook her body before yelling (much to Roy's shock) "Roy! I love you! Will you marry me!"

"…Eh?" Roy uttered before looking away.

_I never thought the day would ever come, that something like this would happen. I didn't answer at first, because I didn't want to say something rashly. I didn't look at her and have a feeling my silence probably disappointed her. I needed wait, I needed to think about it and yet…I didn't think about it. There was only one answer I could possibly give._

"Of course."

* * *

><p><em>We got married and a year later she gave birth to my son Koroh Synth. I just wanted a nice family, a nice family life with my wife and child. That's the only thing I wanted, it was the only thing I would ever dream about. For a couple of years, we did have a nice family, a happy family and then…the accident happened. It came all of a sudden, it was so random and unexpected that for a moment I wondered if God was just mocking me.<em>

_Standing there…the two us at the corner…when Orasami fell down with blood gushing from her head._

"Huh?" Roy mumbled, still starring forward and seeing his wife fall down forward beside him. Due to shock he kept on starring forward, his face remaining passive for a few seconds before going into complete shock.

"Wh-What? No…oh…huh…no." People were screaming all around, something had happened, some sort of a gunshot but Roy didn't hear anything. In fact he was desperately trying to hear the beating of his wife's heart, pressing his head frantically against her chest but there was nothing. Was it over that quickly? Did his wife just die like that, no sound, no voice, just a single shot and now laid to rest on the ground with blood oozing from her head? Was it that quick? If it was this quick than why was the pain in his heart lasting so long? Why?

"Orasami?" Roy whispered

No answer

"Please…get up."

No movement

"…Please…open your eyes."

Nothing.

"WHERE ARE YOU!" Infuriated, grief stricken he jumped up, spreading his arm and turning, frightening most of the people who were still there. "WHY DON'T YOU COME AND FINISH THE JOB! COME ON! YOU MIGHT AS WELL! YOU MIGHT AS WELL FINISH THE FUCKING JOB! WHERE ARE YOU!"

Nothing came his way, he just fell to his knees and screamed, hating his life, his this world and hating everything that existed in it. It wasn't even a matter of doing something wrong. What did he, no ,what did his dear wife do to deserve that?

"Papa…I heard something…" Little Koroh said, running out of the toy store before his father screamed back at him. "GET BACK INSIDE!" He roared, scaring his son who scurried back inside.

"No…no…no…this…oh god! Oh god! Oh god! Oh god!"

"Sir?" Someone said.

"Don't come near me. Please do not come near me."

"Sir…you need to get to a hospital. I know that…"

"I know…I know…" He whispered. "I know what I have to do, but don't come near me. I can't promise that I won't slaughter you all if you come anywhere near me. This didn't happened. Oh god…ugh…Orasami…please get up. Please.

…Please…

…Please."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Finally another chapter finished. You may have noticed the the difference between the first 4 chapters and the rest. I have a Beta Reader helping me fix up my chapters and after that's done I go on an change the formatting. Anyway, please enjoy the very long chapter hopefully I'll get the next one finished soon.<p> 


	16. The Sniper

**Chapter 16: The Sniper**

"Are you feeling any better, Elrya?" Yin asked, mostly as a way to pass the time as he utterly hated himself for not taking Elrya to the hospital. He couldn't believe he actually gave in to the adamant wishes of the young girl for something that own his account, needed the most medical expertise imaginable. "How are those arms?" He added, knowing that was the worst of her damage that he could see and was only hoping her internal injuries minus the ribs, were not life threatening.

"A lot better actually." Elrya whispered. "I'm not lying either, compare to a while ago I'm feeling pretty perky right now." She stopped. "Did I just say that, how childish." She thought.

"Yin I already said a lot so I hope you won't bother me with any unnecessary questions now. However I need your help for something."

"What?" The young man asked.

"My friend, Alya. It's been nearly a week since I last heard from her. She was supposed to come with me but, well as you know she got lost somehow. She's my best friend in the world and I'm afraid something bad happened to her. I can't exactly do anything right now in my condition so when Miriana gets back, can you and her maybe search the city again for her?"

"Of course." Yin answered kindly, putting a hand on Elrya's forehead and even he found himself surprised to see that her temperature had gone down.

"She looks almost exactly like me, like my twin sister. Besides she's got pink hair and horns like me so it's not like you could miss her. There's also another thing I need you to do. Something very, very important but I can't explain what it is."

"I don't like this Elrya, I already know enough bad stuff has happened to you don't keep me at wits end here." Yin said sternly but nonetheless nodding once.

"There's a tent at the local cemetery, it probably has a few provisions in it however the most important thing is the radio that's over there." During the second day Garder had sent a second radio to the tent, with rahter specific instructions given to her from it not to break it like the first one. "I have to make contact with them. I have to make contact with…"

"I refuse to go there." Yin said seriously.

"Huh!" Elrya yelled. "What do you mean you won't?"

"Tell me what it's about and I will, and I won't take no for an answer."

"Stupid human making thing all hard on me…" She thought, sighing deeply and answering. "Garder."

"Who?" Yin asked.

"Garder F. Morotisan. Do you know that name at all?"

"No." Yin said after thinking about it. "Who is he?"

"Garder F. Morotisan is the executive president of the facility where I lived. You know how I was abused and beaten? That place is where it happened and that man runs the entire operation. I hate him so much. He made my life as well as Alya's life a living hell; he's like a monster there, caring for nobody. I hate him. I hate him so much!"

"Calm down Elrya, we don't want your temperature rising again." Yin said hastily.

"Sorry, but it's true, that man is absolutely horrible. I hate him so much. Well about 5 days ago he sent me and Alya to find that woman who did this to me. I kind of overestimated myself and underestimated her I admit. Garder promised Alya and me that if we did find her and brought her back, he would set us free. I'm pretty sure it's a lie but when you have nothing left you go for it even if you're a hundred percent sure it's a lie.

Oh and I should probably mention this also because I know your about to say it. Officials won't do anything to him, cops, police; they won't stop him or the facility. Those are too simple to stop someone like him. Oh man I'm so screwed!" She hissed, bashing the back of her head against the pillow.

"What has this girl been through exactly?" Yin thought, looking at the pink haired girl closely. "You'd have thought she been through an entire war on her own and yet even now, despite her body she still holds enough conviction in her to keep herself going. She's been beaten so badly that even when her wounds are covered you can't see it in her eyes and yet she still goes on. What a brave girl you are Elrya, what a brave one indeed.

Elrya…" Yin said suddenly, causing Elrya to perk her head up. "Do you know what your last name is?"

"No I don't." Elrya said truthfully. "I can't remember what my last name is at all; I know my first name has always been Elrya, although the people at the facility usually call me #90 because apparently having a name is too good for those bastards!" She hissed at the end.

"Elrya…is there anything else you'd like to tell me? Remember I'm always here to listen and help you."

"He's so kind." Elrya thought. "He's so kind and helpful. What a nice and caring man, what a nice and caring human. If only there were more like him in the world, than maybe life wouldn't suck so much. He's so kind to me, helping me out, listening to me…being a pain in the ass." She added humorously as an afterthought as she remembered when he had punched her. "He such a nice man. Could I…be falling in…WATCH OUT!"

* * *

><p>She'd thank her instinctive Diclonius ability later but at the moment she pushed herself off the bed, using her own physical arms and was in such a rush the searing pain that coursed through her body didn't even register in her mind. She bashed into Yin's body, knocking him into the ground just as the bullet sped across her cheek, splattering the bed with a small streak of her blood.<p>

"What luck I have." She thought before her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"GYAAAAAAAAH!"

"Elrya! What happened?" Yin yelled, having heard the gunshot.

"My arms! Crap Ah! Ugh! Guh!"

*Tak* *Tak* *Tak*

She concentrated enough to hear the heavy footsteps walking in the room, opening her clenched eyes long enough to see the blue haired man walk in. "Hm?" Roy quizzically muttered, tilting his head to the side as if mildly amused. "I missed, what a shame which means I'll have to deal with you personally now."

"Bastard. You almost hit him!" Elrya yelled, using anger to try and stifle the pain in her broken arms and now her entire body.

"Oh? Sorry about that, I was aiming for your head but his got in the way."

"Who are you?" Yin asked "What do you want with Elrya?" He gave a puzzled look along with Elrya when Roy raised his right hand, showing the silver etched coin with the five emblazed upon it. "You were supposed to die a while ago Elrya, during your fight with Lucy. In fact, you were never supposed to bring her back."

"What do you mean?" Elrya asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"I mean we never intended you to bring Lucy back, in fact the exact opposite was intended. You were supposed to die, we sent you out because we hoped Lucy would kill you. That's right, everything Garder said to you was a lie. If Lucy failed to kill you, I would then end your life myself. This originally was meant as a job but due to…certain circumstances…this has now become more of a case of vengeance. Don't take it too personally though Elrya…I mean…it's not like you aren't unfamiliar with murder."

She starred, letting it all sink in before using all of her will, Elrya stood on her legs, letting her arms dangle. "So everything was a lie, huh? I actually trusted Garder and yet again he betrays me. Do you people hate me that much? Why doesn't Garder just go and kill me himself if he wants me dead that much!"

"Who knows, the man can be quite irksome some times." Roy replied nonchalantly, aiming his rifle while Elrya starred coldly at him. "Again don't take it too personally, you murdering little wretch."

*BANG!*

The bullet slammed into the invisible barrier, still spinning until slowing to a stop before falling mundanely with a small clatter to the floor.

"Wh-What?" Yin muttered, eyes widening. "Elrya..what happened?"

She looked over at him, sighing for the umpteenth time and stepping forward, concentrating she her arms out, blowing the dust and air around her and leaving Yin completely shocked. "This current, what's happening? Elrya what's going on with you?"

"Yin…" Elrya said seriously. "I'm going to have to explain a lot but for now please get out."

"Elrya?" Yin uttered.

"I have a lot to explain now, but right now I have to deal with this fool. We're taking this fight outside, got it?" She said, or more likely demanded to Roy who merely shrugged his shoulder indifferently, going as far as to step outside first. He knew she would come, and besides fighting in such close spaces weren't to his advantage anyway. Yin came out second surprisingly, rushing out and glaring at Roy but stopping when the man glared dangerously back. "Do not interfere, this is between me and her."

"What does that mean? What did Elrya ever do to you! I…kuh…" Unable to take the amount of stress, Yin had to remain content with just clutching his forehead and sweating. Elrya finally came out, a calm storm of fury, her hands swarming around her like deadly snakes. Roy, positioned his gun over his shoulder, smiling darkly at the girl. "I must admit I'm surprised, even with your body so badly beaten like that you have the will power to move and stand. You know, I'm not sure if even I could do that. No wonder you're such a pain in the ass to kill."

The only answer Elrya gave was a long stare of cold hatred.

"How's your arms?" He asked. At that question, Elrya looked at her dangling appendages, blinking twice and breathing in. "They won't pose a problem, I don't expect to have this fight last too long." She stated, breathing in again to relax her body especially her broken ribs. Pain wasn't going to be a factor, Garder wanted to kill her, then she would defend herself and her friends no matter what.

"I'm not talking about those arms." Roy said, smiling deeply. Elrya narrowed her eyes, taking a step forward although Roy didn't move yet. "Length, 8 meters, specialized micro hydrogen bonds that rapidly move. Added to the combination of oxygen atoms in the air it creates a discharge of entropy. At extreme wavelengths they even become visible, and weak weaponry has absolutely no effect on them.

Vectors. Probably the most annoying thing on the planet, maybe if they were invisible to humans it wouldn't be much of a problem. Truthfully their more of a pain in the ass than actual threat."

"Is that so?" Elrya asked mocking.

"Yes it is, you little bitch." Roy said darkly. "You're soon going to realize that your vectors mean absolutely nothing in a battle of skill." With that statement, Roy lifted his gun, pointing it at her.

"Weapon specialist, Five Cent, Roy Synth…The Sniper."

* * *

><p>The fight between #90 Elrya and Roy Synth The Sniper has begun. With our heroine badly wounded, does she even stand a chance against Roy?<p> 


	17. The Silver Coin Trump Card

**Chapter 17: The Silver Coin Trump Card**

Roy rushed to the side, trying to get to Elrya's blind spot and fired once. The bullet clashed into her vector wall simplistically and dropped mundanely to the ground. She kept her eyes on him, watching his movements and deflecting every shot he fired at her. His firepower was weak and his movements predictable however it was true he did have some rudimentary knowledge on how to fight Diclonius. He kept his distance away from her 8 meters and there was yet another problem that was becoming quite obvious. Even though she could easily deflect his ammo, her body was becoming more and more taxed. After all she was using pure willpower just to stand and she wondered if her body could take the pressure much longer.

"Keep it steady Elrya, this fight won't last long at all." She thought before arrogantly yelling at Roy. "You seem to enjoy running around like a rabbit, perhaps you haven't noticed that your shots aren't working? Or are you just blind?"

"Heh. Maybe so…but the way I see it, I'm not the one sweating profusely." Roy interjected.

She had to admit he was right about that. She was already breathing heavily, her sides racked with pain and the tension made her arms throb viciously. If she wasn't so weak to begin with she'd have gone and just rushed at him herself and sliced that smirk right off with the rest of his head. Yet she had to be content to stay in one place, blocking ammo as it bashed into her vectors. It seemed almost like a battle for time; she knew that he only had so many bullets in that rifle of his, so if she could just last long enough, she could win.

"Hm!" A change in movement caught her attention as Roy suddenly slammed down on his underside, aimed and fired at her left ankle.

"Shit!" Elrya cursed, barely blocking the bullet and taking a step back, trying to defend herself properly.

"You must think I'm an amateur Elrya. I've been specifically trained in killing Diclonius like you, don't think I'm just soldier with a gun who fires indiscreetly at his target. I already told you that in this fight, skills are the only thing that matters."

*BANG!* *BANG!*

She deflected them yet with more difficulty than before. He kept firing at wide angles, aiming for spots that were not necessarily fatal, but spots that she never paid too much attention too, places like the hip and calves and when she focused on those areas, he tried to strike her heart and head.

"Haa…Haa…can't give up." She muttered to herself. "But damn humans aren't supposed to be this good. Keep it up Elrya…don't…ugh…" She refused to shut her eyes though the pain in her broken ribs hit a new high and she nearly stumbled. "Damn you! What kind of soldier shoots a wounded girl!"

"Ha! Only a weak minded fool would ever think something like that. It's your own damn fault for being so arrogant with your powers. You probably thought that no human could ever match you wounded or not. Well that isn't the case anymore, you aren't fighting some rookie who has no idea what he's doing."

*BANG!* *BANG!* The bullets kept coming, slamming repeatedly against her vectors and in some cases non-fatal parts of her body. "Focus! Focus Elrya!" She thought desperately. The young Diclonius decided enough was enough, it would hurt, but she couldn't remain on the defensive forever. Doing her best to ignore the pain, she ran forward, throwing her arms out and trying to close the distance. "Kuh!" Roy groaned, trying to step back, firing repeatedly to keep her at bay. "She's got guts, I'll give her that. How is she even managing to remain conscious right now?"

"Elrya.." Yin mumbled watching the fight unfold and trying to wrap his mind around the insanity.

"_I have to protect Yin. I have to protect Miriana. I have to beat him no matter what! My body hurts, my ribs hurt, my arms hurt, my head hurts, everything about me hurts so much but I can't give up. _

_Ugh…how much longer?_

_Kuh...I…don't know…how much longer…_

_Ah…I can last!"_

"Kyahahahaha!" Laughing almost manically, Roy was going to take his revenge, he was going to take this stupid girl out, because the only thing she reminded him of was the hate his son had for him in the end. She deserved to die, she was a murderer after all so it wasn't like he was killing an innocent life anyways. She had to die, his heart burned to finally kill her, blinded by rage and vengeance. Hell he had nothing against Elrya personally; it wasn't that he even hated Diclonius in the first place. But he had to take his frustration out on somebody and for the time being, Elrya was the person he wanted to kill. In truth, killing her felt like it would lift a small weight off of his already broken heart and perhaps he felt the need to hurt the girl just to make her feel as miserable as he did.

But she was definitely posing more of a problem than he expected, especially weakened.

"Where is she getting all of this vitality from? Even if they have abnormal powers, Diclonius still have the same energy as we humans do. She should've fallen unconscious hours ago!" He growled and smirking sadistically as the girl finally stopped, the overuse of her body causing her to pant heavily. "However…it seems even she has her limits. What a surprise, I may have had to use my trump card."

"Ah!" Yelling aloud, Elrya fell to her knees, trying to keep herself balanced as using her arms was obviously out of the question. "Everyone has been treating me like a slave for so long and now they're trying to kill me. Humans…are such…terrible creatures."

"Kyahahahaha! What a pity Elrya, I guess this is where it ends." Roy stated, aiming for her forehead which would have been easy to block had her vision not been fading in and out. Struggling to get back on her feet, she stumbled back and landed harshly on her backside, filling her body with a pain she was becoming far too familiar with. "Damn Lucy…it's because of her I'm like this." She thought angrily before she heard the first fire.

*BANG!*

She was dead. She didn't have time to even think of something before she was dead. It was quick too, he had at least made it painless, not even enough time to feel the bullet hit her head. A white blank canvas, a split second of light perhaps Heaven, though it wasn't like she ever believed in such a thing anyways. What a wasted life, what a pathetic wasted life she had to live, she never even found her friend. What a wasted…pathetic…sad life she had…

* * *

><p>"ELRYA!"<p>

Eyes popping as the earthly scenery came back, Yin's voice jolted her awake. "I-I'm alive…ugh…still in pain though…" She thought harshly turning her head to see Yin desperately trying to keep Roy from shooting at her again. "You idiot, back off!" Roy yelled, grabbing Yin by the scruff of his shirt, turning him around, and slamming him face first into the dirt. "Do not interfere with that which you know nothing about!" Yin struggled back to his feet while Roy turned away, facing the fallen Elrya, and the young man charged again, trying to protect what he could only imagine to be an innocent girl. It was a brave but futile attempt as Roy swung around, aimed and fired.

*BAM!*

"UGH!" He thought his left shoulder had been torn off which was close enough as the bullet gouged right through it. The impact sent him flying, leaving Elrya to watch almost in slow motion as Yin soared through the air and landed painfully on his back. That human had tried to help her. That human had been trying to help her for a long time. That human had just gotten shot, the same human who had tried to help her.

"I told you to stay out of this boy!" Roy roared.

That human had tried to protect her. Yin had tried to protect her. Yin had done a lot for her in the past few days, something no human had ever done. Was he not really a human, was he something more because no normal human could be that kind. The same with Miriana, were they not really human and therefore were more kind. No, they were human…and even though they were human, they were different from the rest. Yin had tried to protect her, he never tried to kill her, he never lied to her, he never did anything wrong to her. He had spent his entire time standing by her side as she laid in bed sick.

…and that man had shot him.

"EeeeeaaaAAAAAH!" It started off small, like a breeze that was beginning to build up until it became a high pitched wail of hate. Yin, clutching his wounded shoulder gazed in utter shock at the whirlwind of dirt and dust surrounding Elrya, her once weak eyes now vibrant and insane looking, small dots that shook with renowned fury. Her breathing was even more irregular than before, but it was intoxicating, keeping her mind and body working. She wasn't even sure what was going on herself, she only knew that she had to beat this bastard one way or another. "I…won't let…you…get away…with what…you did…" She said through breathless gasps, while Roy raised his rifle.

"What's going on with her? It's the same look she had before! Who cares I'll just deal with her the same!" His last words ended with shock as the muzzle of his gun flew off and then exploded, making him drop it. "Guh! The distance, how the hell did her arms get longer? It couldn't be…you have to be fucking kidding me!" He roared before he saw something else fly passed his head. "Huh?" Momentarily confused, he was still looking at Elrya before briefly looking down at his left before raising the stump of an arm that once existed. Sweat poured from his face but he kept himself surprisingly composed and conscious, although all sorts of pleasure was now out of his eyes. "You tore…my arm off." He uttered coldly, gripping his right fist tightly. "That fucking hurt."

"I guess we're a bit more even now huh. I'll be sure to take that other arm as well as your head." Elrya replied darkly.

"Grrr…brat." Roy uttered.

"_**Let's finish him off…"**_

"Uh?" Another wave of surprise not only on Roy's face but on Elrya's as well. Turning slowly, she saw right next to her, as if she was standing there this whole time.

"A-Alya…" Elrya muttered softly, looking at her friend. Sure enough she was there, with the same clothing as usual slightly dirty but nonetheless…she was there. Alya was there. "When did you…?"

"I don't know Elrya…I don't remember anything at all. I must have somehow wound up here and then I saw you. You'll have to fill me in on the details later though, I see your having a little bit of trouble, although you've done surprisingly well." Alya said, looking gleefully at Roy's bleeding stump.

"…Alya…" Roy growled. "So you've finally emerged.

"Yeah I'm here, amnesia really sucks, and I can't remember anything right now. I do know that for some reason Elrya doesn't really like you, and I'm going to help her kill you. Don't worry, I might make it quick."

Her arrogant attitude made his blood boil.

"Elrya's strong isn't she, she did that much to you. You're pretty arrogant to think a simple human like yourself could match one of us. Elrya, he didn't actually hurt you this much did he?" Alya asked, both out of genuine concern and slight amusement as if she thought Elrya had been toying with him so much she had actually gotten hurt to make the first a little more fair. "Unfortunately you aren't going to last long against me and her."

"…Cocky little brat…Alya…you just had to come and interfere. Fine then, whether it's one or a hundred of you, the conclusion will always be the same."

"You're right!" Alya said cheerfully. "You will die…end of story."

Roy snapped, eyes widening vehemently. "DON'T GET SO FUCKING OVERCONFIDENT!" He roared, opening his mouth biting against the back of his right hand, his teeth digging into his flesh. With a quick but painful rip, he tore the flesh and silver coin right out before biting on it, snapping it in two and swallowing. The effect was instantaneous; from the bleeding scab multiple pieces of blue wire shot out swarming around his right arm and swarmed around to the back of his neck, inserting itself into medulla oblongata. Elrya and Alya watched, Yin having passed out from the pain a while ago, seeing as Roy's right arm flexed and twisted with wires sprouting all around it until it became thicker at the end of his hand, forming into semi-large hole.

"What in the…" Elrya began…

'…HELL IS THAT!" Alya finished with a scream as the burst of some strange light flashed against her eyes, leaving both blinded as sounded left the world. For a split second, everything was white and silent, and they both felt their bodies being pushed back before a single breathtaking explosion shattered reality and Elrya and Alya were blasted off their feet, soaring across the skies and sliding several meters across the ground, slamming into the house which exploded with the force of a literal bomb. It shattered the wood splintering into a million pieces, completely demolished with no chance of repair. Behind Roy, the entire ground had ripped up, blown to pieces leaving a short crater stream at his back. The ground around him was cracked and filling the world with dust, leaving him gasping.

* * *

><p>"Ugh…Alya…are you alright?" Elrya asked, opening her eyes only to see darkness. "Uh…not really. Do you mind telling me what happened?" She asked tenderly, trying to move her head and wincing. "I think we got blown up, can I ask you a question?"<p>

"Yeah…sure…" Alya mumbled.

"Do you know what just happened?"

"Not sure…I think reality decided to screw with us. You wouldn't have any idea who that man was would you?" Alya asked also.

"Called himself Roy Synth."

"Really? Ugh…well when you get a chance. Kindly tell him to stop breaking the laws of physics, humans aren't supposed to do this. Ow…my arms…"

"What happened?" Elrya asked urgently again.

"I can't…move them." Alya stated. "You too, I guess that makes two of us then. Ah…you don't remember anything do you Alya?" Elrya answered back.

"Nothing. For some reason everything is a blank, I only recently realized where I was right now. I must have blinded came over here, lucky really. Those bastard humans must have been giving you a hard time."

"Garder set it up." Elrya said. "He never intended us to bring Lucy back. He was actually hoping she would kill us so he wouldn't have to waste his time doing it. If Lucy failed, he'd just sent this guy out to get rid of instead. It's all been a lie!" She hissed the last words out, truly infuriated. "Garder…that bastard. This is love even for him." Alya muttered coldly, trying to pick herself up and failing miserably. "I hope you haven't had too much trouble Elrya, I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"Don't apologize, it actually wasn't all that bad." Elrya said. "I…met a few people."

"Who?"

"Alya, I made some friends. There's this girl, she's only a human and yet she doesn't treat me anything like a Diclonius. She suffered some horrible accident long ago that left her entire body burned and yet she treats me the same way you do…as a friend."

"No way…" Alya said in disbelief. "No human could."

"It's true, and even more there's this young man, after I had an accident and you disappeared he nursed me back to health. Even tried to protect me."

"You aren't making any sense Elrya, humans can't do that, it's impossible for them." Alya answered sternly, wondering if her friend had been hit in the head harder than she had thought. "Besides Elrya, we don't have time to talk, there's a certain guy over there who's head I'm desperate to tear off." At that, Elrya had to chuckle despite herself. "Hahaha, I'll have to agree with you there, ugh…kuh." Moaning and groaning painfully, she and Alya suffered but managed to get up, using their vectors for help. Choking and spitting up blood, their bodies beaten but moving, they struggled to get out of the debris.

"Still alive?" Roy muttered, looking over his shoulders. "How can they still be alive? The fuck do I have to do kill them!" He roared, wincing and choking as lack of blood was now becoming very apparent.

"I'm hard to kill." Alya said mockingly, only enticing Roy's anger even more. "Usually I'd like to know what happened to you but at this point screw it. I'll give you some credit, you certainly did better than most, but in the end, a human is still just a human."

Roy, narrowing his eyes at first suddenly smirked sinisterly. "Considering you just got here Alya, you wouldn't understand so I'll phrase my question to Elrya. Do you remember my codename?"

"Roy Synth…The Sniper…what about it?" Elrya asked.

"Did you not ever find it strange, that someone with the codenamed "Sniper" would start to directly attack someone as they can see them? Wouldn't it have made more sense, if I had kept my distance and kept myself hidden and shot at you? Even you understand something as simple as that."

"What are you getting at?" Elrya asked sternly, understanding what he meant but wanting to know what the point was.

"My wires, have a lot of special prowess, including the one you just saw. The silver that was etched upon my right hand is my ultimate trump card. However you see, it's greatest ability…" he began raising hand, "…Is this."

*Snap*

He gave one quick audible snap and suddenly Elrya was blasted forward from behind, a gunshot slamming into her shoulder and putting her face down. "Elrya!' Alya roared, looking behind her to see what was going on. "What…the hell was that?" She muttered.

"Kya…hahaha…hahaha…" Roy laughed through injured gasps. "My rifle has bullets that are too weak to get by vectors the conventional way and obviously as a sniper I'm pretty poor. A sniper will remain hidden and fire so that an opponent does not know where they are shooting from, yet I'm here. But, the reason you Diclonius can deflect bullets in the first place is because you can set your mind and eyes on them. However if you can't see it, you can't deflect it."

"No way…" Elrya gasped.

"That's right…every single bullet that I have fired in this battle, that is currently laid out in this field, is under my direct control. I'm guess you haven't paid attention to where every bullet has landed, it's also the reason I shot at your legs and ankles, so that the trajectory didn't send too many bullets too far off.

*Snap*

Elrya and Alya starred at first and then gasped simultaneously as they saw small around objects floating around them, the bullets spinning around slowly as if attracted by some unseen force. In front, at the side, in the back, they were completely surrounded.

"I believe I told you…that this is a fight of skill, and needless to say you do not have skill. The only thing you've ever known how to do is lash out your arms and hope you hit something. That won't work anymore, and I'm growing kind of tired you see and I'm also kind of pissed about my arm. You've caused me too much trouble Elrya…and you too…Alya…!

…FIRE!"


	18. Violent Threshold Truth

**Chapter 18: Violent Threshold Truth**

The bullets flew in every direction possible, slamming into her back, and side, slicing into her broken ribs and pounding into her wounded arms. Elrya stumbled, forward and the bullet smashed into her shoulder throwing her back while Alya's vector reached back and grabbed her, trying to keep her balanced while she tried to deflect the bullets away. Even wounded and the fact that he was dealing with both Elrya and Alya, it was clear that Roy had the advantage. He was toying with them and they both knew it. Mocking them, he held his hand up like a gun, and faked firing as the bullets continue to smash into them, without a single bit of mercy, purposely missing true vital spots but tearing them apart easily.

"What's wrong Diclonius?" Roy roared hysterically. "Is the pressure too much for you?"

Elrya jumped back and was blasted forward again, the bullet digging into her side. "Damn it…this is so unfair!" she cried out, unable to even bring her arms out to attack she was being beaten around so badly. "What's so unfair about it, Elrya? It's no different from vectors isn't it, weapons that you can't see, tearing into your body painfully."

"GET OFF OF HER!" Alya screamed, lashing her much longer and more powerful arms at him, forcing Roy into a retreat. It was a valiant attack but also futile as the bullets began to come after her, she felt the stinging sensation of iron digging into her flesh as she spit up blood, her body aching harshly. "What!" A quick gasp as the wires emerged from Roy's hand and wrapped around her ankle before lifting her sky high. With two full swings, he took the girl around before violently smashing into the dirt, smiling wickedly all the same. Wires still wrapped around her ankle, Alya was lifted again and slammed repeatedly back and forth until with enough concentration she sliced the wires off of her, landing lithely back on her feet. "Stupid human!" She shrieked, attacking with an almost irrational ferocity. She hardly cared anymore; she just purely and utterly hated this man, this stupid arrogant human.

Hate. If one ever asked why Alya hated humans so much, even though the reasons were obvious she could never give those reasons herself. It was just hate, pure unrestrained hatred, the kind hate that was even deeper than normal.

Hate. So much unnatural hate, so much unnatural power for a single Sipilet. So much killer instinct for one mere Sipilet, to the point that she was becoming…deranged.

"Ah…kuh!" Growling between clenched teeth, Roy, much to his surprise actually started to find himself being pushed back, trying to keep the specific distance he was told about before but it seemed as if, her arms were getting longer. It didn't help that his left side was becoming numb now and even his vision was going in and out. No doubt created by his missing left arm, the blood still dripping profusely. "I can't let it go on any further than this; I've been too careless in this fight." He thought, concentrating and letting the wires flex around his arms, forming into the elongated gun with the small hole at the center.

"It's that…thing." Elrya mumbled, holding her ground. "Be careful Alya."

"I'll kill that bastard before he can even think about using it!" Alya screamed, charging forward with the same crazed look in her eye. It would take a moment to charge, to let the ionic pressure in the wires create the sound wave and blow her away. To think for his entire life, he had trained to kill someone like her, and in the end, when the time finally came, there was absolutely no reason to do it anymore. Life really was cruel, wasn't it? Just an unbalance of cruelty, no hope, no happiness, just a jaded world of pure cruelty.

*SLASH!*

"AH! HOW!" He roared, starring at the blood spurt that came from his chest and backing away as quickly as he could. "How are her arms getting longer? What the hell is happening with her!

*SLICE*

Even worst, a slice from his left hip to his right shoulder, spraying the world with blood which with his already harshly blood loss was not helping him at all.

*BANG!*

A shot fired, knocking Alya off of her feet while Roy took aim, a hellish glint in his eyes. *BANG!* Another shot, fired and spraying the world this time with Alya's blood. "Alya! Watch out!" Elrya screamed, seeing the flash of white light beginning to emerge. "ALYA! WATCH OUT!"

"SAYONARA!"

Fire, a single blast from the chaotic source that blinded and deafened all ears. Like a blank white canvas, the only thing that currently existed was the bright light. Sound came first, eruption of an explosion the radiated outwards, then came force, everything in front of the blast radius torn apart and thrown back without mercy. Rocks, dirty, trees, it was all decimated much like the same house which suffered the same devastating effect as before. Then as if the wind was rushing back into reality, the sound as if bomb exploded echoed everywhere and light finally resumed back to its normal pattern.

"Haa…Haa…Haa…" Right arm dangling at his side, twisted and bent after its second use with the wires dangling from it, Roy panted heavily watching the great cloud of dust billow into the air. Finally, it was over, a fight that shouldn't have lasted this long at all. To think he even had to go as far to use his coin on someone like her.

"Haa…Haa…Now…what am I…?"

*SLASH!*

* * *

><p>"!"<p>

Blanks astonishment was the only thing that was registered on his face, nothing but a complete blank as his eyes trailed the splitting of his right arm, the wires breaking apart until the entire thing fell off, spewing more blood onto the ground. "No…way…" Roy uttered, the great amount of blood loss too much now before the vector slammed against his head, spinning his body and landing on his back, coughing up a trail of blood. By the time he became aware of his surroundings, he noticed the figure of his attacker standing right above him, starring coldly at him with wicked red eyes. "Enjoying yourself?" Alya asked sarcastically.

The girl was covered from head to toe in bloody wounds, letting her arms lay limp which were also bleeding freshly.

"How long…as she been like this?" He thought, looking at her with the same gaze of coldness although likewise he didn't seem to in much of a place to fight, in hindsight at least. "Alya…12 meters before…but now it seems as if it's gone to at least 14 meters. And that insane look for both of them, has it…gotten worse? I didn't expect this to happen…"

"You're going to pay for what you did to Elrya human, breaking her arms and body like that."

"Kyahahahaha!" Unable to help it, Roy laughed aloud, grinning widely at Alya. "You truly are…haa…haa…the most idiotic person that has ever existed. Tell me along with invisible hands, are you Diclonius also unnaturally ignorant?" It wasn't the kind of response Alya was fond of, and she made it clear as she dug one of her fingers into his left arm, sliding it into the veins and compressing it. "ORAH!" It was enough snap him awake, a searing agony coursing through his body, leaving him gasping. "Would you like to repeat that?" Alya asked.

"I'd rather not…I don't like repeating myself to idiots." Roy replied viciously, earning himself another pinch and earning the same searing pain again. "Haa…kuh…you little brat."

"You know, although I do enjoy torturing you, your attitude is pissing me off." Alya muttered, raising her vector. "Is that so…huh?" Roy whispered, a small grin on his face as most of the vision in his right eye went black. "…Well then…do it."

"Hm?" Alya uttered, slightly confused. "I'd have thought you'd be more willing to beg for your life."

"Beg?" Roy asked, as if genuinely confused at the statement. "…Do not dare to compare me to such weakling. I chose my path and the consequences that came with it. Decapitation, bisection, vivisection, brain removal, heart removal, organ removal, all the sorts of slow, blood, agonizing deaths that you could do mean absolutely nothing to me. Do not compare me to some rookie soldier, I didn't become an assassin for Cents for nothing."

"Worthless human."

"There is…haa…haa…haa…one thing I would like to say though, before you end my life.

…

…

…bang."

*BOOM!*

It caught her completely off guard, the stray bullets around her exploded without warning, leaving only the minute amount of time for her to bring her vectors out and nothing more. She was blown backwards, soaring through the sky with an incredulous look upon her face, landing on her back much like Roy. "Ahhhhhh! Ahhhhh…Ugh…Guh…bastard!" She shrieked, swinging her arms around wildly, but slicing nothing more than dirt she had been blown away so far. Elrya shrieked too, falling to her knees and gasping.

"What? Did you really not think my weapons didn't work?" Roy declared, still smiling as the vision in his left eye began to fade. "Everything…you deserve nothing more than the worst punishment in the world. Arrogant little children like you…who don't understand a single thing in the world and yet think everything is against them. Huh?"

Alya was struggling, bleeding from her mouth, but she was getting up. "How…?" Roy thought. "What…is she?"

"That…just earned you…the worst…possible death…imaginable." She said through hated eyes, stumbling towards him and raising her vector again. "Shall I blow you apart again…I have more than enough bullets around here to blow your head off before you even know it. I have enough bullets close by that the moment I feel anything on me, I can blow your head straight off. Don't believe me? Oh it's true, I don't plan on dying without a fight.

Infuriated but believing him, an invisible standoff occurred.

…

…

And then it was broken.

* * *

><p>"ELRYA STOP IT!"<p>

Alya looked over but instead of her friend she found herself being knocked to the ground by some girl around the same age as her, black hair with streaks of blonde in it. "Ah…what are you doing!" She yelled, surprised to see the stream of tears pouring from her face. "Stop it Elrya…I can't…believe you'd have such a horrible look on your face. I saw what happened…I can't believe it…everything. You don't have to hurt people."

"She saw it then." Elrya thought sadly. "So she finally knows."

"Elrya, I don't understand what's going on. I can't even…begin to understand. But you don't have to hurt people, you don't have to kill him."

"I'm not Elrya, I'm Alya."

"Huh?"

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

"What?" Roy thought, turning his head to the sound of deep clapping, the others doing the same thing.

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

"…What an excellent show this has been." Vladimir said, smiling almost kindly at them. "It's you." Miriana said.

"I was at first suspicious of Garder's actions, I thought him weak minded but now I might have to congratulate him. I've never seen such spectacular suffering before, on both sides, I didn't know who to root for. What a delicious assortment of chaos."

"What are you doing here…Vladimir?" Roy asked.

"Oi Roy…you're looking kind of down right now. Do you want a hand? That was a metaphorical joke also. You did very well though, I saw the whole thing and I was deeply impressed. You truly lived up to your name as the fifth Cent."

"What right do you have to interfere?" Alya asked, or more likely demanded.

"Oh? Ah is that you Alya, have you had a good day? Although you probably don't remember anything past a week ago. I've wanted to meet you…for a long time. You see, I've been enjoying the show from the sidelines for far too long. I wanted to get into the action a bit, oh what a lovely suffering it has been."

"You sound deranged." Alya said sternly.

"Oh, I'm very much sane…I assume." He added as an afterthought. "At least I haven't been talking to myself for the past 10 years."

"Huh?"

"…Vladi-mir…" Roy whispered, glaring at him. "What is…the meaning behind this?"

"Sorry Roy, I didn't mean to ignore you; I was just fascinated at meeting Alya. Dear, you look like you could use some medical help. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, it's been awhile so you should probably visit Orasami's tomb soon."

!

"H-H-How…do you…k-know that…name?" Roy asked, visibly shaking now again that had nothing to do with blood loss. "Wh-What are you talking about Vladimir? I have never once mentioned the name of my wife to you, the members, Garder or anyone related to the facility. There is no way…th-that you could possibly know that name."

"Ah Roy, forgetting so much. I mean come on…" Vladimir said, pulling a small black magnum from his pocket and licking the muzzle, even going as far as to point the actual gun in his throat and slowly pressing the trigger though not actually pulling it.

"…**After all…I'm the one who shot her."**

* * *

><p>Author's Note: The truth is out and its become clear that Vladimir has been royally screwing with all of them from the very beginning. It certainly can't bode well when the leader himself appears, and yet, things are about to get even worse. The heroines are wounded and Vladimir is about to take his picking on the multiple dishes of suffering.<strong><br>**


	19. When The Dark Sun Rises

**Chapter 19: When The Dark Sun Rises**

He just stood there, hands in his pockets and smiling as if he had heard an amusing joke, it almost seemed kind, like a fatherly smile. The kind smile changed though, to a much more vile kind of smirk so that Vladimir was smirking broadly at Roy. For a moment, one might have thought another one of Roy's shockwaves had gone off because there was no sound in the area; it was just silent while everyone looked at one another. Roy, unable to move and now on the brink of losing consciousness, could hardly even muster the strength to even give an angry look.

"…You…shot…Orasami?" He asked though deep breaths.

"Yep." Vladimir said cheerfully, stretching his fingers and reaching from behind, pulling out one of the thin poles out of his neck and licking the blood off of it. The sight sickened Elrya but she didn't say anything yet.

"…Did you…have anything…to do with…my son's death?"

"Sadly not." Vladimir replied, shrugging all the same. "That was just bad luck on his part, but you know I'm glad I didn't kill him. Otherwise, what joy could I have found in watching his disappointed face realizing his own father was a murderer? Oh it was wonderful, just seeing your expression, watching you go into such a rage and attack Elrya without in thoughts of rationality. Even though the girl had absolutely nothing to do with your son's death, you still went after her. I can't even describe the joy of watching you suffer."

Roy breathed, his mind slowly going black. A silent rage engulfed him as he concentrated, lifting a small bullet so that it hovered right in front of Vladimir's head. "So I've been played the fool…" He uttered coldly, and yet he didn't have enough concentration to keep it steady and the small round dropped with a clatter to the ground until Roy's consciousness fell into darkness. "Adios…Roy Synth." Vladimir smiled, before chucking the pole at his neck, ready to skewer him. The pole stopped dangerously close as the very tip pierced through his flesh before being pulled out by Elrya's vector.

"What's up Elrya?" Alya asked starring at Vladimir's amused smile and Miriana's confused gaze.

"…We've been had, we've all been had. That man had nothing to do with us, now I understand, he was trying to kill us because he hated us, and he was trying to kill us because he had lost something very close to him. I've made friends, human friends…so…" She turned swiftly, glaring at Vladimir with a look of cold determined harshness in her eyes. "I can't let him get away with this."

"Elrya?" Miriana mumbled.

"Miriana, stand back, you might want to look away also…yes, please do that. I don't know if I can control the urge to tear him into pieces. I don't know who you are, but I know that you have no right to live in the same world as that man, Yin, Miriana or Alya."

"Is that so?" Vladimir asked sarcastically, hands still in his pockets. "Alya…what do you have to say to that?"

"I don't know about being friends with a human…" She said, looking over at Elrya. "…But I do agree that you don't deserve to live in this world."

"Heh…Heheh…Hahaha…how fascinating. Well before you kill me, why don't you introduce your friend to Miriana…Elrya."

"Hm?" Elrya muttered, looking over at Alya and then at Vladimir. "What are you getting at? This is no time for introductions."

"Why don't you ask her then?" Vladimir stated, tilting his head over at Miriana. The young Sipilet gazed over at her human friend. "What's wrong Miriana?"

"Elrya...you've been talking to your friend Alya this whole time right?"

"Of course, she's right there." Elrya said matter of fact, pointing at Alya who waved nonchalantly.

"…Elrya…there's…nobody there." Miriana said.

* * *

><p>…<p>

…

"…Miriana…you aren't making any sense. Alya's right there." Elrya said nervously, as Alya took looked perplexed. "Yes…are you blind?" Alya asked. It only confused Miriana even more.

"You're voice…what happened to your Voice Elrya?" Miriana asked.

"My voice hasn't changed at all Miriana. It's me, Elrya and my friend is over there, Alya. Why are you playing tricks on me? You promised that you would never lie to me, so please stop."

"But…I'm not lying…Elrya…there's nobody there. I don't see anybody. There's no Alya there at all."

…

…

"…What are you…" She asked looking at Alya. "…What are you…talking about? She's right there…I can see her, I can smell her, and I can touch her…see!" She yelled hugging Alya with all of her might. "See! See!"

"I'm sorry Elrya…but there's nobody there."

…

…

"Haven't you figured it out yet Elrya?" Vladimir inquired darkly. "Hasn't it become obvious now? Look closely…look very closely at who you're hugging. Take a moment to really look at your own reflection."

"…Huh…HUH!" She finally did, as if her own consciousness had snapped back out of a dream and she found that her arms were wrapped around her own body. "Alya! Alya!"

"Elrya!" She could hear her, and she could see her, standing there with the same look of confusion and yet somehow she wasn't there. The moment Miriana and said that she didn't exist; Elrya couldn't get a clear image on Alya, as if she was a ghost that was vanishing from her mind. For Alya, it was the exact same thing, Elrya was just a ghost, flickering in and out of her head, every time she tried to do something to her, hug her, touch her, see her, she disappeared from sight and she was left alone. "This…this isn't possible. This isn't possible. No. No. No." Elrya said again and again, shaking her head and looking over when Vladimir began to speak.

"Have you figured it out yet? Arrived at the conclusion have you not? It should have been obvious; all the confused looks people gave you. The fact that nobody actually ever looked over whenever you spoke to Alya. Both of you are #90 and #91…both of you are the exact same person, in the exact same body! Did you not ever think it was strange that Alya looked exactly like you! Did it not ever occur to you, after you bashed your head into the wall?"

Elrya gasped. The day that happened, Alya had disappeared from her head, and Alya had claimed she couldn't remember anything until she reappeared.

"Has it become clear...Diclonius #9091…Alya Elrya?" Vladimir finished with the same devilish smirk on his face.

!

"…Ah…Ahhh…No…liar…" She whispered, and yet…for the first time in her entire life, she had to believe him. It couldn't be, for 10 years she had befriended Alya, loved like a true sister and yet, that was all a lie? How it could be?

"Impossible!" Elrya exclaimed, trying to find some falsehood in the claim anyways. "I've seen people talk to Alya!"

"No…they've been talking to you." Vladimir replied sinisterly.

"I've seen Alya leave with the scientists before!"

"No…you left with the scientists. Hasn't it become clear, your full name is Alya Elrya, you created a secondary imagination from your own Diclonius instincts. You don't have any friends! You took all your hate…all of your madness…all of your fury…all of your instincts…all of it. You took all of that, and compiled into one person, you created your imaginary friend!"

"LIAR!" Alya's voice broke out wildly. "I do exist! Elrya is my friend and you're a fool!"

"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Vladimir let out a booming set of laughter, holding his head as if he had now truly heard the funniest joke on the planet. "You're the exact same, the exact same thing can be said for you! The exact same mind, the exact same person, every sense given in so that it looks real, and yet it isn't. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! I love it! Look at your faces, that incredible look of shocked suffering! I can't even believe how long you've believed such ignorance! OH GOD IT'S GREAT!"

"…That can't be…Alya's my best friend. Alya was always there for me, she helped me in the gravest situations." Elrya whimpered, falling to her side as Alya felt the same sensation, going in and out as the two brainwaves struggled with the truth. "Elrya's my friend…she's always been my friend. She's always been there…so…what am I?" She thought. "Am I just a…figment of imagination? Or am I real and Elrya is just a figment of my imagination?"

"Elrya! Elrya! Snap out of it!" Miriana begged before turning to Vladimir. "What's wrong with you? Please…stop torturing her like that, it's hurting her!"

"I know." Vladimir replied simply.

"Please sir! She can't take this, please stop! I'm begging you to please stop! Please! Please!"

"Why?"

She stopped, starring at Vladimir. "Why?" She repeated. "Who are you? How could anyone take such pleasure in hurting another person like that?"

"…Why, the answer is even simpler. Because that is my purpose, to make everything around me suffer, including myself. I absolutely love it when I see suffering, especially the mental kind. I love to drain every drop of madness from my prey, and drink their tears of sorrow when they realized the truth. You see the greatest damage that is done, is not physical but mental. For example…how's your mother doing?"

"HUH!...Wh-Wh-What about my mo-mother. My mo-mo-mother died…a long…t-time ago. You d-didn't do anything did you?"

"Nope." The violent man said, shrugging his shoulder. "See…even if it's a lie, it'll tear even a minute part of your soul away. Even if you ignore it, just for a split second you'll suffer. Although some people are more keen to resistance to others. Hell the last time I brought up something deep for Garder he didn't bat an eye, although I think he might have held his hand a bit too tightly. You see…Miriana…you can only be an angel in falsehood, in reality your just another weak little girl."

"Th-That's not true." She exclaimed. "I'm not weak…I'm not…"

"Weak? Yes…you are, you're very weak. Your mother was weak."

"N-No…"

"Weak…defenseless…I believe you had an accident a long time ago right? Trust me, when you've been around as long as I have, you learn a few things about the world. An accident, a car accident that killed your parents…it was no accident. Your parents were so ashamed of you, they got in the car and crashed it hoping to get rid of you and just outright killing themselves!"

"N-N-No! That's a lie! That's a lie!" Miriana cried out, clutching her face. "My parents loved me…they even said so."

"Tell that to the burn marks on your body. They probably got together one night, while you were sleeping in your little bed. 'I can't stand her…she's a mistake…a horrible mistake. I'd rather die than ever have to raise her.'"

"No!"

"That's right! 'What a shame…that I ever fathered something so hideous.'"

"My father never…said anything like that!" Miriana screamed, tears running down her face. "This isn't right…this isn't right at all! Stop it! Please stop it, I'm begging you!"

"You think it's a lie? Perhaps it is…perhaps it isn't…but then again…there is one truth to this whole thing. Until Elrya came, you didn't have a single friend."

"HUH!"

"Ah, caught up now has it? Every single person was disgusted with you. Your parents killed themselves because they hated the fact that they sired you. People hated you because you were disgusting. Really, the only thing you've ever been good at is making people sick. What a pathetic little girl you truly are."

"Ahh…Ugh…Ahhh…" Much like Elrya/Alya, Miriana collapsed onto the ground, clutching her body and rolling from side to side. "Ahhhh…Ugh…mother…f-father…you love me right? Tell me you love me! You love your baby girl right? You love me right? Please tell me you l-love me…"

"St-Stop…screwing with her…" Elrya gasped, attempting to pick herself up and struggling to remain on her feet. "If lying is the only thing you're good at…then I'll kill you…so that you can never tell another single lie again. Alya?" She asked, knowing the truth but unable to help but look over and see her friend and now herself just staring blankly at the ground, muttering incoherently.

"Ah…I can't take it…either…" She though, getting dizzy as the world began to spin around her. "It's all too much…It's all too much. Miriana though…she needs my help. I n-need to help her…because…she helped me…I need to…"

!

*SLASH!*

The first vector sliced across his chest, spewing a fountain of blood as he sauntered back, her eyes enraged beyond any point of rationality possible, she sliced across his left arm. She hacked, slashed, just to make him shut up. He has to shut up, he had to telling these horrible lies because it destroying them…it was destroying her! He just kept smirking, that dark and heinous smirk, because he was enjoying making them suffer. He was having so much fun, doing all these horrible things and it had to stop! It had to stop right now!

*SLASH!*

*SLISH!*

"Kill…kill…kill…he has to pay! He has to pay for hurting Miriana like that! I have to help her! Kill him!"

*SLASH!*

"STOP LAUGHING! YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO LAUGH AT HER! YOU DON'T THE RIGHT TO HURT HER LIKE THAT!" She roared at the top of her lungs, hating him completely, hating him more than any other person in the entire world. One vector, one single corporeal arm to finally take his head off and that stupid fucking grin one and for all.

*CLAMP!*

* * *

><p>"AH!" She just gasped and starred as Vladimir lunged forward and grasped her vector with his mouth. She just stared blankly like a deer caught in the headlights, her bottom lip quivering as the brutal man chomped down on the impossible and let go. Instinctively she brought her hand back, or rather, part of it, seeing that most of the hand was gone. Vladimir, on the most casual note, start chewing, tilting his head to the side curiously before swallowing. He gave a shake of his head, opened his mouth and pulled something out, flicking it by Elrya's feet who's eyes traveled over to it. A finger…a ghostly finger that withered away into nothing. At that point, there was no way she could keep herself in check, Elrya just fell to her knees looking vacuously in front of her. Of course, when something so impossible like that happens, when reality itself is shattered completely, there's nothing she can do.<p>

"No…way…" She whispered, feeling weak, feeling defenseless and feeling scared. "No way. Something like that can't happen at all. Ahhh…"

…

…

"!"

Something, a hand of some sort touched her head, the fingers ruffling her hair.

"_**Good morning…Elrya Alya-Chan. Have you awakened from your silly little dream?"**_

Vladimir struck, taking his weapon, he jammed it into the girl's stomach and straight through her back, leaving her breathless, confused and ultimately lost. Color started to slip away from her eyes before Vladimir pulled it out, and Elrya and Alya knew no more.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: With but a few words and a quick stab, the dark man Vladimir Cents has put Elrya and the others into the ground, leaving them helpless, leaving them destroyed and scared. Elrya finally learns the truth about Alya, and it has complettely defeated her. Everyone is hurt, at the mercy of Vladimir's sadistic game, so at a time like this, what on earth can Elrya and the other's do? Are they fated to die here, suffering under the cruel man's grin? Stay tuned for the next chapter of "Pinpoint Lifeline"<p> 


	20. In Light Of It All

**Chapter 20: In Light Of It All**

Yin was on the ground unconscious, his shoulder wound bleeding into the grass. Roy, his arms torn off was in the same predicament. Miriana shuddered and held herself tightly, mumbling for her mother and father although she was the only one who was currently conscious at the moment. Elrya, her psyche all but destroyed and with a bloody hole in her abdomen too saw nothing but darkness like the other two. Vladimir smiled, the same despicable one he always wore walking around and admiring his handiwork. After a minute of taking his sweet time to relish in the absolutely suffering he had cause, Vladimir pulled out the small radio he held in his pocket.

"Yo…Mister Zero." He said cheerily, chuckling deeply when he heard Garder's elder voice answer from the other end. "It's all done…it's all been done. Elrya Alya is dead."

"…Really?" How?"

"I broke her, I absolutely broke her mind and then I put a pole in her. Even if it doesn't kill her, her mind has been completely obliterated." The leader of Cents said cruelly, kicking the girl in the head and strolling over to Roy's body. "It would seem I've a member of my group…quite a shame…quite a shame."

"Are you sure she's dead?" Garder asked.

"Strange…the way you ask…it almost sounds as if you pity her? I saw her eyes; right before she died…they were hurt eyes. The lies you told her…the lies I told her…just a world of lies that can never change. Tell me, Garder F. Morotisan, does that make you feel happy? Do you feel any delight in having been responsible for killing her? Huh?"

"It doesn't matter…" Garder said after a moment's pause.

"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! How cold of you, not even a small prayer for your little girl? She'll never see the light of day again. Oh well…I guess I'll be heading back then." Hanging up, Vladimir gave one last look over his shoulders at the bloody work, before laughing hysterically. Crossing over the block, he went as far as to pet a small child on the head who strolled by, kindly leading him to his mother before coming to his next designated spot. Standing there with his signature wide brimmed hat, Julius tilted his head over at Vladimir in recognition. "I received the call from Garder, you killed Elrya and Alya did you?"

"I can't say it was much of a fight." He declared ruthlessly, cracking his knuckles in the process. Julius decided for the moment to remain silent looking up at the sky. "What happened to Roy?" He finally asked. "Dead." Vladimir stated simply.

"So..they're dead?"

"Are you feeling guilty Two Cent? Are you perhaps sad that you had to wait and watch as one of your own species was killed? Did you perhaps get an attachment to that girl, seeing her as a younger sister perhaps? Although I guess in a very technical sense she is your sister, oh it must have hurt just knowing that she would die."

"…In such a case, I would like to make something also obvious Vladimir Cents." Julius said sternly. "You should be more careful of your work."

"You've tweaked my curiosity, explain." The dark man asked.

"If you had truly made sure…you would have realized that the girl is not dead yet."

!

"…Say again?" Vladimir asked, still grinning. "You mean to tell me…that after having her arms and ribs broken, multiple lacerations, multiple gunshot wounds, her mind brutally torn up and a pole stuck through her…that she's alive? Hmmm, come with me Zero Point." Vladimir stated, walking back over to where the battle had commenced with Julius following behind with the same unfeeling expression on his face. The two stopped at the battlefield where Vladimir starred with an incredulous grin on his face.

"…Oh?"

Nobody, not even Roy was there, just a single blood trail that was being dragged off to some location. Vladimir knew he could follow it, easily finding them and finishing them off for good. Yet, for the strangest of reasons he decided not to, he decided he actually wanted to wait, he wanted them to get better. "How interesting…how very interesting. Despite the mutilations, she continues to live. I can't believe it…I actually lost. I actually lost against her."

"While you may not have killed her…although with her wounds she still may die, I could hardly call it a loss for you." Julius said.

"Ah, you don't understand things like this. The idea was to destroy her, break her mind and her body, I failed in both attempts. I actually lost this fight…I for one lost a fight, how funny, it's almost breathtaking I dare say. It's that conviction she has, I completely underestimated it. Her desire to live, her desire to change, her desire to kill, her desire to protect even that young human girl. It is such an interesting case!"

Vladimir Cents chuckled and once again broke out into a fit of laughter even more insane than the last time. "Hahahahaha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Hehahahahaha! That's it, for the first time I've finally found a person…whom I can truly test my abilities on. ZERO POINT!" He roared, raising his hands to his side and basking in the sunlight. "Get the others ready, tell Garder to prepare himself. It is time…

Countdown…

..5…

…4…

…3…

…2…

…1...

Target acquired…#9091, Alya Elrya…Diclonius age 15. Target's conviction is alarmingly high, body endurance is alarmingly high, and prowess is alarmingly high. I have found myself an opponent, one whom I can call 'rival.' I have finally found a point, to deliver to that girl her greatest suffering, nothing more could ever make me happier!

It's time…

The members are set.

"**Commencing Operation…Pinpoint Lifeline."**

* * *

><p>"Ugh…Ah…Ughhh…haa…haa…haa…UGH!" Sweet little Miriana, crying tears out of her eyes and gasping for breath, tugged ElryaAlya, Yin and Roy one at a time, literally dragging each one a few inches, going to the next person and dragging them a bit. "Haa…Haa…Haa…Elrya." She whispered, almost losing it when she saw the massive bloody hole in her friend. "Oh god…oh god…what do I do? What do I do? Somebody help…help her. Help them, I can't do this alone."

"M-Miriana?" Yin choked as the young girl rushed over to his side. "Yin-san! Are you alright?"

"AH! My shoulder…however I should be fine, what about…oh god!" He yelled, seeing Elrya's poor misshapen self. He got up, walking over to her and sighing while putting his head down on her chest. "She's still breathing…amazing. There may still be some time."

"We need to call a hospital and…"

"No." Yin said seriously. "I now know…that this is a lot bigger than we could ever think. I'm going to try and tend to Elrya as best as I can right now."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do about him." Miriana said.

"Hm? Why did you bring him?" Yin asked, not exactly pleased himself when seeing Roy as he did try to kill Elrya and he was kind of the reason there was a gaping hole in his shoulder as well. Nevertheless he nodded once, bending low on his knees to check Elrya's body. He already knew now, that Elrya wasn't human, just as she had told him. No, she was human, just a bit different. He took some medication out of his pocket that he kept on a regular basis while lifting Elrya's shirt gently, holding his composure as he saw the worst of the wound. He applied the ointment, although this would only allow for some spare time, she truly did need professional medical help at this point. "Miriana…what happened out there? What happened to Elrya?"

"Some…some man…I met him before when I returning that girl…back to her home. He was…so cruel…he hurt her. He hurt Elrya. Yin…did my parents hate me?" She whined.

"Why would you ask that? I'm sure they didn't."

"Really? Please…he hurt me. I don't know…if I can…"

"SNAP OUT OF IT!" He roared, surprised by even his own anger. "Here…" He said, taking off his shirt and throwing it over to her. "He's lost enough blood as it is, but just so he doesn't lose anymore, tightening that around the normal looking stump, the one that doesn't have all those wires around it; keep him propped up too. Hm?"

His hands brushed passed Elrya's skirt, seeing a small piece of paper drop down on it. "What's this?" It looked like a phone number and he wondered who it could be. There was no time to be thinking about such stuff yet, he instantly pulled out his own cell phone and quickly dialed. It rang only once before a very gruff voice answered.

"Hullo? Who is this?"

"Listen...we need help." He begged.

"How did you get this number? Who are you?"

"My name is Yin Sandersas, whoever you are, we desperately need medical help right away."

"Then call a fucking doctor, not me!" The man on the other end roared.

"Please…please come, I can tell you exactly where we are, just come and bring some help please. Please."

"UGH! Fine then! Just tell me where!"

* * *

><p>…<p>

…

"Hey look…she's waking up."

"Finally, took her a damn long time."

"Elrya? How are you doing?"

The young Sipilet groaned, finding herself on some bed, though not the comfortable one she was used to sleeping on at Yin's house. Groggily lifting her head up, she felt some soft force pushing her back down. "Don't push yourself Elrya."

"M-Miriana?" Elrya whispered, letting the young girl come into view who smiled sweetly at her. "I'm glad you finally woke up, you've been asleep for the past 3 days right now."

"3 days?" She moaned.

"That's right." Yin interjected. "So you should take it easy right now. We don't want you to open any old wounds right now." His statement tweaked her memory as he looked at her lower abdomen, seeing it wrapped up and tensed but not hurting. That's right, that man had attacked them and then the other man, what a day or 3 days, she still wasn't able to think clearly yet. "What happened? H-How did we get out."

"Miriana bravely carried us away, and at some point I woke up and I found that number in your pocket and called him." As he pointed, Elrya followed the finger to the burly man in the coat, growling as if he disliked the fact that he was part of the rescue squad. "Y-You…I remember you from the beach." She whispered.

"Don't get all moody." Bando said arrogantly, crossing his arms.

"You helped my friend, you shouldn't be angry about it." Miriana said cheerily.

"So where are we?" Elrya asked before she heard an unfamiliar voice answer.

"You're in a specialized hospital for Diclonius." A man with neat black hair and glasses said sternly. "Don't worry, nothing is going to happen to you here."

"And who might you be?" Elrya asked.

"Kurama." The man said simply.

"After Bando came, he called Kurama who took us to this hospital since there was no way we could've helped you in our predicament. You just woke up as we said after 3 days." Yin said, putting a hand on her forehead to see if she had any sort of fever. "Right now the only thing you can do is rest right now."

"Alright. Alya?" Elrya called out, making everyone jump when she suddenly stated talking to herself, her voice and expression changing slightly.

"Yes Elrya…I'm…I guess I'm here." She said softly, looking away and feeling slightly morbid.

"I don't know what to think anymore." Elrya stated sadly before taking a deep breath in. "Nothing makes any sense."

"Hasn't it been clear? Alya isn't real."

The voice caught all their attention. Leaning against the wall, arms missing and an expression of unconcerned care on his face, Roy looked over at them, a loner in the group. The dark change in Elrya/Alya's face was rather understandable. "Alya's my friend…she's always been my friend and that won't change now."

"You're really dense aren't you?" Roy uttered, rolling his eyes. "Alya isn't real, she's a figment of your imagination so it's high time you came to accept that."

"That's not true." Miriana interrupted looking at Roy who looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe Alya isn't real to us, but she is just a figment of imagination. However she's real to Elrya and if what I've heard is true, she's been real to her for a very long time. Something like this, shouldn't change anything about that. Hey Alya." She said to Elrya.

"What?" Alya said, coming into the front of the mind.

"See? You are real. My name's Miriana and I hope I can be your friend." She said smiling. The girl looked at her strangely before looking away while Elrya's conscious came to the front. "I'm sorry, for everything that I've held back. However after I've gotten better, I'll have to leave you all. I have been made a fool of for the last time, I'll make Garder, all of them, I'll make all of them pay for what they did."

"No." Yin answered, making Elrya give him a long look. "I will not let you go at this alone. There's so much stuff that I don't understand, and yet I know for sure that I'm not leaving you alone and don't give me any buts about it either."

"The same goes for me." Miriana piped in. "You're my friend and I'll be there for you no matter what."

"It's too dangerous…" Elrya said. "It's far too dangerous for you guys to come. I appreciate everything you did for me. Miriana, thanks for being my friend, if only for this short time and thank you Yin for taking care of me. However I have to do this alone."

"KYAHAHAHA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

"What the hell are you laughing at?" She yelled as Roy almost spasmodically burst into a fit of mirth, bending low and almost crying tears he was laughing so hard. "You…do it…alone?" He whispered through chuckles, leaning back against the wall. "Haven't you figured it out yet, you don't have a chance against Garder or the member of Cents. Even if you aren't weakened, you don't stand a hell's chance against any of them."

"You know, nobody asked for you to butt in." Elrya growled.

"However…I will admit that I too want to do something about this. Much like you I was also made a fool of, and I refuse to be made anybody's fool." Roy hissed. "This is why I'm coming along with you as well."

"You might agree that I think that's a terrible idea, how do I know you won't just try and kill me like last time?" Elrya asked as Roy looked away. "I was wrong; I took out my rage and frustration on the wrong person. I've always known that Vladimir was a bastard but I never realized he was responsible for killing my own wife. This is why I'm going to help you, to stop him, Garder and the others. More so, it's not just them, whom we have to stop, it's Kakuzawa and the entire facilities.

However you are technically right." He continued gazing over at Yin and Miriana. "I don't need to explain that this will be the most dangerous thing that will ever happen, we cannot afford mistakes. Yin, you have some adept knowledge on medical attention, that will definitely be helpful, but Miriana, this has now become far too dangerous for you to join in."

"I'm coming." She said seriously. "I can be of some help, I know I can. Besides Elrya is my friend and I won't just leave her. I know the dangers and I may be young but I'm not a child."

"…Tsk, fines then, just all of you, try not to screw anything up. What about you Bando, somebody with your combat experience would be of a great asset to us."

"I don't think so." The brutish man growled, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. "I still have work to do, particularly finding that pink haired bitch and putting a bullet in her fucking head."

"You must mean Lucy." Roy answered seriously. "Lucy is a very important person that Director Kakuzawa seeks. Considering we'll be heading to the main facility at some point, there is actually a good chance you will meet her."

Bando paused.

"…How sure are you?"

"It's only a guess, although at least with us you won't be stuck on the beach for the entire time just waiting for someone who may never show up."

"…Helping another horned freak…" He muttered, causing Elrya to give him a dark look. "…Urgh! Fine then!" He spat, turning away. "Too many fucking people on the beach anyways."

"Excellent!" Miriana cried happily.

"So what are we going to do after I heal up? If you think I have no chance against them, then I feel this is kind of useless." Elrya replied hastily before Roy answered all the same. "You're right, dealing with Garder, Vladimir and the members of Cents will have to wait. I suggest the first thing we do is deal with Kakuzawa himself. However there is another problem."

"What?"

"The tracking chip in your body." He said seriously as Elrya realized what he was talking about. "As long as that is in you, Garder will always know where you. Hell it's a miracle he hasn't come here now. Chief Kurama is there anything you can do about this?"

"I can see, let me call in the other doctors." Kurama said before bringing in members of the staff to look at Elrya, giving her X-rays before putting her own the operating table. "It's in your left arm, just above the elbow. We'll have to numb your broken arm of course and then we can remove it." The doctors said as Elrya nodded nonchalantly. "I've been cut up enough, more won't hurt I guess." She spoke sarcastically.

It only took 10 minutes.

* * *

><p>"…Elrya and Alya have disappeared off the tracking meter." Vorono said, looking at the board closely. "This means that they've taken the chip out of her."<p>

"Indeed." Orlana said seriously, crossing her arms and looking at him with her usual perpetual wink. "Things have changed so drastically from before and the worst part of it is, I feel like we're the bad guys. We're hunting a young girl and her family and the worst part of it is, she has no idea just how dangerous she is. From all that I've heard in the report, I'm not sure if even Alya is aware of it. Unlike our leader, I don't take a liking to murdering like this."

"It may be a bad time to ask, but why did you become an assassin?" Vorono queried at his fellow member. The woman sighed, sitting down in one of the chairs and pulling out her watch, letting it flow back and forth serenely. "Irony." She replied shortly, watching the watch carefully.

"I see." Vorono said, not pressing it on.

"What about you?" She asked as well.

"Funny enough, irony as well. Orlana, you're going up against her next."

"Yes I am."

"…Good luck."

* * *

><p>"Elrya, I need to ask you something very important." Yin said, looking deeply at her. "Kurama told me everything, about these facilities, about the directors, about Diclonius and about your arms. Elrya, have you ever killed anybody?"<p>

Miriana gasped, putting her hand to her mouth and shaking her head. "Yin! How could you ask something like that?"

Elrya looked down for a long five seconds before sighing opening her mouth and uttering.

"No she hasn't…" Roy stated as Elrya's head shot up, looking up at him. "Elrya has never killed a single person in her life, although she has come dangerously close. You do not have to worry about that Yin Sandersas, she is not a killer."

She couldn't believe it, why was he lying? Yin looked hard at Roy who didn't blink and at last nodded and smiled at the young girl, ruffling her hair with his hand. "That's good to hear. Elrya, you're going to have to stay in bed for the next week, I would say longer but now that I know about your abnormal healing I can understand how a week will work. The rest of us are staying at a special hotel so we'll visit you on a daily basis." That out of the way, Yin and everyone else but Roy left the room, leaving the two alone.

* * *

><p>"Roy, why did you lie to him?" Elrya asked. "I'm a murderer and that hasn't changed one bit."<p>

"I can see the look in your face when you see him. I, who once loved somebody myself know the feeling. I don't need to be a mind reader to know that you adore Yin."

"No I don't I…" She cried out suddenly, sweating deeply before sighing. "…Alright…maybe a little, ok maybe a lot. Alright…yes…I do."

"Elrya, is that true?" Alya asked seriously as Roy moaned. "I swear that freaks me out every time."

"What does?" Elrya asked.

"That!" He yelled. "Whenever Alya appears you and your voice changes back and forth."

"I can't help it, I don't even notice it. For me, whenever I speak to Alya, I see her right next to me and for her, it's the same."

"Well you know the truth and that won't change. Anyways I'm going off…oh, I guess I owe you an apology as well, so sorry." Leaving as well, Roy turned off the lights and let Elrya rest her head against the pillow.

"I won't deny it." Elrya said to Alya and basically to herself. "You may not have seen it, but Yin was one of the kindest humans ever. Look at him now, even when he knows most of the truth, even when he sees my horns he still takes care of me."

"Then it must be strange because I too…feel a little something for him as well." Alya said.

"It's probably because we're one in the same. I never thought I'd feel like this for anybody, not even another Diclonius."

"Are there even male Diclonius?" Alya asked a Elrya chuckled. "I guess you're right but you get my point. He was the first person to genuinely care about me, something that no other human has ever done. He doesn't hurt me, or mock me or anything like that.

I love him."

"…Really?" Alya asked.

"Yes." The young girl answered herself. "I won't try to deny it, I really do love him. I don't know if it's too early to think it, I've actually hardly known the guy but I just know, deep in my heart that I truly do."

"I see. He seems kind of old doesn't he?"

"Old?" Elrya asked.

"I mean older…we're 15 years old and he's what, 20. Isn't that kind of…wrong?"

"I don't care. He could be 50." Elrya answered.

"Alright, now say that without smiling." Alya said while Elrya chuckled. "Alright, so maybe I joked a bit on that. However, I do love him."

"I see. I'm getting tired; I'm going to sleep…whatever that means." Alya said as her thoughts disappeared and soon enough, Elrya too fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another chapter finished. You can also think of this as the end of part 1 for "Pinpoint Lifeline" It has finally been decided, much like Vladimir's own group, Elrya has composed an almost ragtag bunch of people to help her bring down Kakuzawa, Vladimir, Garder and the facility. It doesn't have to be said that will be hard, high near impossible actually. Where will their adventures take her and the others next? What challenges will they have to ovecome? It's a long and perilous journey up a head.<p> 


	21. Miriana's Test

**Chapter 21: Miriana's Test**

_My name is Alya Elrya, I am 15 years old, my mother is dead and my father left me a long time ago. I lived for 10 years in the facility, run Director Garder F. Morotisan. I hated it, every single person there but two people. One was the Head Guard, Girikuson Vorono, the only one who never had a sadistic look in his eyes. I understood though, that in the end he had chosen his path and I had chosen mine, which makes it all the harder to know that in the end he accepted my torturous life. The other was my best friend Alya, whom I recently came to realize was just myself. Just an image created to help me cope with every bit of harshness that came in my life._

_Yet, even if she isn't real…even if I'm not real…my thoughts, my memories, my reactions even if they aren't real, it doesn't matter. My existence is real and therefore, even if Alya is just me, she will always be my friend…I will always be my friend._

_The most ragtag bunch of people have joined me, humans no doubt, something I know Alya still isn't exactly comfortable with. It makes me wonder, since I too am Alya, that if I too am uncomfortable with it as well. It's nothing that I would want to dwell on for too long._

_The tactical operative, Roy Synth. I can't say I'm exactly pleased with him being here, considering he did try to kill me, but I think I understand his issue. Besides, as someone who's had direct contact with Garder and Vladimir as well as his knowledge of the facilities, he's a valuable player. I feel kind of bad about ripping his arms off…well…almost._

_Combat specialist, the soldier Bando. I'm afraid he's going to just shoot me sometimes and that arrogant demeanor gets on my nerves. Then again, I've been arrogant at times too. Like Roy he's a necessity._

_Then there's Yin Sandersas, the doctor of the group and the man whom I fully admit that I have feelings for. Knowing the threats we're about to face, I feel that bringing him along will only lead to bad things but nonetheless he insists on coming anyways. _

_Then there's Kusoku Miriana. She doesn't have any special skills or powers. In reality she's just a girl, a young girl who should never have gotten into this mess. Yet she does have something that is very important, spirit. Her cheerful disposition keeps our morals up, always smiling that lovely angelic smile of hers._

_At last, there's of course me, not even able to read and yet I somehow became the leader of this group. Just a single Diclonius with invisible hands that now days seem to amount to nothing considering they got bit off last time. We're like the anti-group to Vladimir and Garder, both of whom I have sworn eternal vengeance against. However, the head of it all is Director Kakuzawa, if we can beat him, and then at the very least we can bring a harsh blow down to this horrible charade._

* * *

><p>"AHEM!"<p>

Snapping out of her stupor, Elrya looked over at Roy and for that matter everyone else who was just looking at her.

"Excuse me, oh dear leader…but do you often talk to yourself like that?" Roy asked sarcastically, leaning against the wall and putting one foot behind him to keep himself balanced. "What's with you being the leader…you can't even read and yet that makes you the leader? If anything I'm leading this joint."

"Well I agree that Elrya should be the leader, it's only right." Yin said seriously and the answer he got from Roy grated his and Elrya's nerves. "No offense sir, but shut the hell up. If we all went by her leadership, you'd have all gone rushing up to Garder's facility and gotten your pathetic asses handed to you…again." He added putting much emphasis on the words. "Don't forget I'm the only one here who even has a clue of what's going on, I'm the only one who has even the slightest notion of what these guys are capable of doing. The plan is as such, we're taking care of Kakuzawa first, although we can't just go to the facility itself."

"Why not?" Elrya asked.

"The head facility is located on a small island out in the Pacific, the only way we're getting there is by boat or by plane. More importantly, the place is too heavily guarded; we'd get shot down in a heartbeat in any unmarked vehicles. Are third problem right now is Orlana Zeruda."

"Who?" They all said in unison.

"Originally the 3rd Cent of Vladimir's group, she willingly demoted herself to the 4th Cent. However, this should be clear anyways that you do not want to mess with her. I do not know he powers exactly, only that she is an expert on illusions, code named 'The Clock Stopper.' In basis sense she's above me, and therefore right now if any of you see her, get the hell out."

"What does she look like?" Yin queried.

"Young, black hair and wears a rather simple outfit. One of her eyes holds the specialized silver coin that we have so she often has it closed. She is not one to be trifled with. I should also mention the other members as well.

3rd cent, Girikuson Vorono, The Tank."

"You mean…the head guard?" Elrya said in disbelief.

"2nd cent, Javel Julius, The Zero Point as well as the only Diclonius in Vladimir's group."

"Wait!" Alya burst out, shocking everyone for a moment. "You mean to tell me that bastard is forcing one of my kind to work for him!"

"None of were forced into Vladimir's group. Julius agreed entirely on it." Roy answered simply.

"And correct me if I'm wrong, but Julius sounds like a guy's name…" Alya said, thinking deeply. "That it is, he may well be the only male Diclonius. At the second level, you could consider him second in command, which of course leaves us with the leader himself.

One Cent, Vladimir Cents…The Incorrigible. The man who cares for nothing and nobody, who strives off of making every person suffer for eternity."

"Forgive me…sir…" Elrya said sarcastically. "But it sounds like this entire thing is useless. What the hell are we supposed to do then? We can't go to Garder, we can't go to Kakuzawa, and we can't do anything!"

"Incorrect." Roy said. "Firstly Kurama will be able to keep in touch with us, as Kakuzawa is still under the impression that he still works for him. Secondly, and I think you'll agree highly on this Alya Elrya, it's high time we set the Diclonius free."

"Huh? Not that I don't agree with you, but that would mean going to the facilities which you said…"

"I said Garder and Kakuzawa's facilities we're heavily guarded and dangerous, but there are more than two facilities in Japan. There are in fact 5 facilities counting the main one Director Kakuzawa runs, and the Southern Most one in Osaka is currently the least guarded of them all…"

"Which means…" Yin spoke at last. "If we rescue them, it'll mean more numbers for us."

"Each facility holds at least 100 Diclonius. I doubt they'd listen to us, but Elrya, being one herself could certainly coax them into helping us. With that, helping the other three facilities won't be much of a problem. It will also mean that Kakuzawa as well as Garder will be under a lot of stress, making it easier for us to make our moves. Of course if we do manage to get the weakest facility done, it'll only mean that they'll up the defensive measures for the other ones. This means that by the time we get to Kakuzawa's facility, we'll definitely be facing a hell of a challenge getting in."

"So what exactly is the proposal?" Elrya asked.

"As stated, we're heading to the southern facility in Osaka; it's our best bet right now, not to mention you guys can get some target practice."

"Excuse me…target practice?" Miriana mumbled as if she hadn't heard correctly.

"What?" Roy said snidely, rearing his head back as if 'he' hadn't heard her correctly. "Have you not been listening for the past 20 minutes? These people aren't just going to let these Diclonius go and wave goodbye with smiles on their faces. Times like these are when we kill."

"But…killing is wrong." Miriana whimpered, bowing her head low. "Nobody should ever have to kill…it's so wrong."

"Listen…" Roy uttered with a bit more politeness in his voice. "I'm not forcing you to kill anybody, I just you all to know the truth of the matter. This is not a game, this isn't something where you can just quit and be off. However, if your so against it, Bando."

"Huh?" The brutal man grumbled, lifting his head.

"You wouldn't happen to have one of those tranqs with you. Give Miriana and if you can, Yin one too."

The man grumbled, reaching somewhere inside of his coat which held more than enough weapons to start a small war, and tossed two guns two the intended people. Yin clumsily caught it while Miriana point blank refused to even touch it, backing away as if it was a poisonous animal. "I said I wasn't going to kill anyone!" She cried out while Roy moaned.

"It's a tranquillizer, a non-lethal gun that will sedate the enemy but not kill them."

"I don't know…" Miriana mumbled, picking it up slowly and looking at it with distaste. "All guns…are the same aren't they? It doesn't matter what it might be, it'll just end up doing the same thing…and…"

"MY GOD ARE YOU THAT FUCKING STUPID!" Roy roared, scaring Miriana half out of her mind and putting Elrya on red alert. "DO YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME GIRL! THESE PEOPLE…WILL FUCKING KILL YOU…AND THAT"S THE LEAST OF YOUR FUCKING PROBLEMS REALLY! IT'S TIME YOU GOT IT IN YOUR FUCKING HEAD!"

"That's enough…" Elrya growled, moving her vectors menacingly outwards. "You have no right to…"

"Oh shut up…" Roy hissed, quieting Elrya instantly. "Here…shoot me!" Roy yelled, looking at Miriana. "It's a freaking tranquilizer gun, so just shoot me."

"Huh…b-but…wh-why?" The young girl cried out, still hurt by Roy's outbreak. "Unless you can shoot me, then I refuse to have you go on this journey. Now shoot me."

"I…can't…"

"So…you do not want to help, you in fact want to join us just to get in our way."

"That's not true…I can help…but…"

"We don't need morality at the moment, we need skills. You join us, the only thing you'll be doing is becoming easy prey for Vladimir and the others. What will you do if Vladimir comes at you; obviously you know he doesn't care much about your wellbeing? What will you do if your alone, surrounded by guards who torture children much younger than you? If you can't do so much as pull a trigger on a non-lethal weapon…then you can forget about coming."

"Now just wait a minute." Elrya interrupted, still glaring daggers at the no armed man. "I'm the one in charge of this, Miriana is one of my best friends and I refuse to leave her alone."

"Still spewing out stupidity I see, you stupid little girl." Roy growled, stepping forward. "Maybe you should stay too, useless as you are right now." He uttered while looking at her arms. It didn't go by Elrya's attention who instantly had a retort back. "At least I have my arms…"

"Oh really…you think that'll matter to me…" Roy uttered, concentrating his wires so that his bullets began to float in midair. "W-Wait a minute!" Yin yelled, although his actions did little more than just increase the suspense. Elrya's vectors were poised to strike when something sharp hit Roy in the neck.

"Hm?" the sniper uttered, feeling something on his neck and noticing out of the corner of his eyes a small dart before turning to Miriana, shaking with the gun raised and pointing at him. "Not too shabby…" he whispered before collapsing onto the floor in a daze.

"I-I-I-I sh-sh-sh-shot h-h-him…" She whimpered, dropping the gun while Bando groaned, clearly wondering how this was going to help him find Lucy. "Don't worry kid, he's only asleep…if you've been listening at all."

"I-I-I'm sorry Elrya…it's just that…he was…g-g-going to h-h-hurt you and…oh…this doesn't make me a bad person does it?"

"No way!" Elrya said, meaning the words even more than one would think. "He had it coming, thanks for helping me, I knew you would be there for me." She said smiling. "He is right though, his plan is pretty much something we should do and he is right Miriana, this is going to be very dangerous, something you shouldn't be doing in the first place. Something I don't want Yin to do either…" She continued looking at the man as Alya despite herself snickered in the background of the mind. "Promise me you'll be careful."

The young multi-haired girl nodded once sternly.

"Good…so what do we do about him?" She asked, looking at the knocked out body of Roy.

"I don't care, I'm heading out…" Bando mumbled, again wondering how any of this was going to help him get to Lucy. Yin walked up, lifting Roy up and gently carrying him out while Miriana followed, waving goodbye to Elrya who smiled back, laying her head back on the pillow.

Outside, after a few more minutes and slapping of the face, Yin woke up Roy he shook his head groggily. "Happy now are you?" Yin asked sarcastically, looking at the sniper sternly. "Actually I am…it makes me feel a lot better knowing that the girl can do something if she sets her mind to it. Yin, there is something very important I need to ask of you. Make sure you keep Elrya and Alya happy."

"Huh? Not that I wasn't going to do that but why the notion? "

"Just…keep her happy alright. It's all I'm asking."

Yin, still confused nodded anyways leaving with Roy to the special hotel they were all staying at.


	22. Gestures

**Chapter 22: Gestures**

"How are you feeling Elrya? They told me that you your body heals a lot faster than normal." Miriana said as she and the others walked in after a week had gone by. "Much better, although I still need to rest for at least another week." The young girl answered, moving her arms a bit and turning around. Most of her broken bones had healed, though her body still ached terribly at times, in truth she could probably get moving in less than a week though Yin had insisted that she rest for the entire time period. With her tracking chip out of the way, it would be much harder for them to find her, but Roy did present another problem.

"Julius." He muttered, leaning casually against the wall while Bando lit up a smoke. "We're kind of screwed if he gets a lock on your signature, and so we have to do something about that as well as those." He said pointing at her.

"What? My eyes?" Elrya asked, earning a nice moan from Roy. "No…idiot girl, your horns! You stand out like a sore thumb with them anyways, this includes your hair color as well, we'll have to dye it."

"I like my horns and I like my hair." She uttered, not liking where this conversation was going at all.

"Yeah, and I don't like things messing up. I'll be blunt, we're going to have to remove your horns and dye your hair color. By removing your horns, it'll keep Julius from sending you."

"Won't that…hurt her?" Yin asked.

"Oh getting her horns take off, oh that'll be the most painful thing she'll ever go through." Roy answered simply. "NO WAY!" Elrya cried out, going as far as to put her hands on top of her head. "Haven't I been through enough without something like that happening to me! I'll do the dye if we have to, but I'm not getting my horns removed, besides what if something goes wrong and I lose my vectors!"

"Well for the first time you can call yourself human and you won't ever have to worry about being picked on again." Roy answered with his usual snide voice, rolling his eyes at the foolish he thought she was being. "I suppose…" He said, thinking deeply. "…That if we can somehow manipulate the sensory nerves in your pineal gland, we could remove that ability for others to sense you, of course it would mean you couldn't sense other Diclonius as well."

"That makes even less sense!' Elrya cried out. "Besides, in both cases what if something happens to me or Alya, we share a unique signature after all."

"She's right." Yin answered. "I understand where you're coming from Roy but this is highly dangerous from what I've heard."

"Those are your options, take them or leave them" Roy said firmly, kicking back against the wall again and looking at Elrya for an answer. The young girl sighed again, and looked up. "The second option…sounds the most reasonable I guess. Do you know how to do such an operation?"

"Nope." Roy answered.

"Well what the hell man!" She cried out angrily. "What point is it to give a reason and not be able to pull it off?"

"Typical reaction from a Diclonius. I am an expert on weapons, sniping and attacking Diclonius as well as tactical maneuvers. The last thing I have any knowledge on is things involving medicine except for some very basic things. Yin, you're a doctor, perhaps you can help."

"That's true, but I don't exactly have a lot of knowledge on Diclonius, if you know what I mean." The young man said. "However I can try my best."

"Sounds good to me, I trust Yin." Elrya spoke.

"Alright then, I'll see if Kurama can be of assistance, he's studied Diclonius brainwave activities before so he should be able to help. In the meantime, keep resting Elrya." Roy said, about to leave when Alya spoke up as well.

"You know I'm here as well."

"…Yeah…rest up too Alya."

* * *

><p>Sitting at his desk with pen in hand, Garder tapped at the edge of the wood softly, glaring at the piece of paper with black slit eyes. The light of the room gleaming off his glasses gave him a threateningly, one of intelligence and formidability. Elrya had dropped off the map and more importantly so did Alya. Had he known something like this would happen, he would never have let her go, he would've kept her locked up, here in her cell as usual, but he thought that nothing would go wrong. He admitted, that he underestimated her and perhaps overestimated Lucy.<p>

Without the tracking chip, it would also mean that Orlana would have a much more difficult time in finding her as well. It also didn't help that Kakuzawa was getting on the end point of impatience, and it was a matter of time before he decided to get into the play as well. He was also beginning to get worried about Vladimir Cents. He had known, from the very beginning was Vladimir's nature was like, they all did, but even now it felt like was getting out of hand, even for the dark man himself. Operation Pinpoint Lifeline, which was one of the war operations he had been in during his time as a soldier. It was actually the last operation he had been in until the end of the war, and it was something he remembered very well.

"What are you doing…Alya Elrya?" He thought to himself, gazing out the window from his office.

Meanwhile, Vladimir himself was making some visits of his own. Stepping onto the small boat, he was greeted by a small 3 man team, all of whom had their guns locked and loaded on him. "You are trespassing on government property, remove yourself immediately."

"Awww, I'm just here to pay a little visit." Vladimir chuckled, raising his hands in the air in defeat.

"Remove yourself from this area immediately."

"Sorry, can't do that, I have important business with Mr. Director Kakuzawa."

"If you have business with the director, show some identity, and no funny business."

"Alright…here we go…" Vladimir uttered, reaching into his pockets before twisting his body and ramming one of his rods into the first soldier's head. The second one barely managed to utter "Fire!" before he too felt the sickening feeling of metal through his neck and the last one, moments from pulling the trigger, felt it slide into his left eye and out of his head. They dropped like puppets with their strings cut, leave Vladimir in the middle, putting his rod away and taking a deep breath of fresh air and blood. He then, as if on instinct bent down and slowly began lapping up the blood like some anima, placing his hand on his face and snickering happily to himself.

"Hm…" He mumbled, looking at the front of the boat and smiling even more. "Oh yeah…I forgot…I don't know how to drive a boat." He said to himself, walking off and heading to find another boat with its crew. "Note to self, leave one alive to drive the boat."

* * *

><p>"Is this going to hurt?" Elrya asked as she laid down on the operating table, looking from side to side. "No idea." Yin said, wearing a legitimate doctor's uniform that almost seemed to surprise the young girl. She wasn't used to seeing Yin in such a get up after all. Kurama was there as well, thoughts having traveled from letting Nana go, to the Director and his servitude to him and then back to the girl on the table.<p>

"This isn't something we've ever done before." He said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Honestly, It'll hurt, but there's less problems in removing your horns then there is in doing this operation.

"No." Alya said, coming to the front of the mind. "I refuse to remove that which I am, we're doing this operation."

"Very well then…Kurama…give the instructions…" Yin said, bending low over Elrya's head.

* * *

><p>"I do thank you for your cooperation." Vladimir said cheerfully, dropping the dead man into the water and stepping onto the large island where the massive white complex stood. Vladimir looked around, seeing the soldiers, scientist, doctors and other assortment of people walking in and out before walking into the building himself. Perhaps if he didn't wear such an elaborate outfit, people wouldn't have paid much attention to him. Instead he was stopped by security.<p>

"How did you get in here? This is…"

"HOLY CRAP! ONE OF THE DICLONIUS HAS ESCAPED!" He roared suddenly, pointing over the man's shoulder which, along with making the security turn away, caused a huge commotion with the entire staff, most of which was screaming, cursing, running out doors and jumping out windows. With everyone confused and disoriented, Vladimir calmly walked off to where he needed to be heading.

"Greetings!" Vladimir yelled with the same smirk upon his face. There, in the center, his wig slightly lopsided though hardly noticeable was the Head Director, Kakuzawa. Interrupted from what important work he was doing, looked at the man for a long time as if thinking perhaps the long day had made him drowsy. "And you are…?" He growled.

"Vladimir Cents!" The wicked man proclaimed, going as far as to bow deeply. "How are you doing this fine day Mr. Director?"

"Busy…" Kakuzawa growled, clearly getting fed up with this intrusion.

"That's fine, I'm sure you're a very busy man, doing all this work! You ever think about taking a day off? Have a little vacation, get some sunscreen and lay out on the beach, I'm sure your skin could use it."

"I suggest you leave…" Kakuzawa hissed, reaching for the gun in his back pocket.

"Ah…I'm sorry if I've bothered you, I just thought you might like to know something." Vladimir said happily, clasping his hands together. It involves a certain woman who you're looking for."

!

"Speak…now." Kakuzawa demanded, glaring daggers at Vladimir who walked around nonchalantly. "That's right; I might know where Lucy is located."

It came out swiftly, the pistol aimed and the finger ready to pull the trigger. "Answer me! Where is she?"

"Well that's not nice." Vladimir uttered with mock sadness. "You shouldn't pull a gun out during a conversation that could help you. I mean, what kind of almighty superior god of the Diclonius goes off and pulls a gun on a guy who's trying to help him? Besides…we both know you won't shoot me."

"And what makes you say that?" Kakuzawa said darkly.

Vladimir chuckled, stretching his fingers before answering. "Everything I tell you might be a lie, just a silly little lie. I could send you into the wildest goose hunt ever, wasting every little bit of your time. However, you'll believe me, because you're desperate. You're desperate to find her, to reach her, capture her and collect your prize."

The fact was, he was right. Kakuzawa wanted without a doubt to find Lucy, she was after all the key part to his master plan. "Alright… " He hissed. "However, the moment I find out if this is a lie…you will die."

"Oh dear…" Vladimir said, still smiling as he usually did. "Here's the location…listen well…"

* * *

><p>Vladimir stepped into the large holding cell area, casually strolling about with the broad grin on his face. He seemed to notice a particular person chained against the bloodstained walls and walked over to her. The young girl barely managed to lift her head up when she began whimpering uncontrollably, trying to slide back.<p>

"HEY! DON'T GET NEAR HER!"

One of the scientists rushed out as Vladimir came up to her, trying to pull him back. "Are you crazy man, don't get so close to her!"

"What do you mean?" Vladimir asked, patting the girl on the head who seemed to calm down a bit. "I swear, you people take things far too seriously. Look at her, what a sweet one." Almost like a dog, he began scratching her head, ruffling her hair with his hand before bending on his knees to look her in the eye. "See, isn't that all better? Ah, see now your smiling!" He exclaimed, the Diclonius actually breaking out into a reluctant grin at the nicety she was being shown. "How adorable…do you have a name?"

The girl shook her head.

"Awww, no name, what a shame. Well there's your number? Ah, so you must be Number 28. What a nice number that is, I'm sure everything in your life…

…will be nothing but pleasures."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Getting these chapters out like paper form a printer. To keep her location as safe as possible, Elrya Alya has agreed to do a very risky operation to remove the ability for other Diclonius (Particularly Julius) in sensing her. Meanwhile Vladimir heads out to the Head Facility and offers Director Kakuzawa a little compensation. He also meets Number 28...whom if you've read the manga pretty much know that this cannot end well for her at all. But the story has only just begun, what will happen next, on Pinpoint Lifeline?<p> 


	23. Angelic Sinner

**Chapter 23: Angelic Sinner**

The people bustling by paid no attention to the young woman who draped herself with a long brown coat, the tail end extended split in two so that it waved behind her, giving herself what some might consider a very cool and majestic look but at the same ridding herself of beauty. It wasn't that she wasn't pretty, but in such a garb it made it easy to walk around without having trailing eyes on her, especially as her normal outfit consisted of a two piece. Orlana Zeruda, former 3rd Cent now 4th Cent…code named The Clock Stopper. A woman hailing from a far off country with an accent to match. Nobody knew where she from, she never told anyone and with such a mysterious air around her, some concluded that was from some place that didn't exist on the map. She was like air, a mysterious property that floats around.

Due to the fact that Elrya's tracking chip had gone missing, she was now entitled to look for Elrya using knowledge. The last place she had been sighted at was at another person's house, a human no less thought she didn't bother to her thoughts travel to far on that matter. She had also gotten word that Roy Synth, the former 5th member had also joined her along with another group of people. Was it betrayal? She wasn't going to make any assumptions just yet but she knew that while Roy could be an arrogant man, he was hardly qualified as being a treacherous coward. She also couldn't help but think that Vladimir had held a bit of information from her as well but considering his personality, she wasn't going to dwell on that matter. For now she would just have to the information given to her and find and kill the girl.

Kill.

What a harsh word it is. Other than Vladimir who makes it point blank clear that he relishes in killing, she never believed that any of the members ever became assassins for the fun of it. As their leader proclaimed, money makes the world go round and for that they all had a specific reason for becoming killers. It was also one of the primary reasons why she allowed herself to switch places with Vorono. The lower one's number one, the stronger they were and while they were all reasonably set out to do small business, they all had to follow in chronological order. This meant that with any serious mission, Roy would always have gotten first dibs thus he was always the one who earned the most money. Sometimes when time is not on one's side, much like her own, one can't be patience, it has to be done and it has to be done now.

For her, this was the last chance…to save her.

Orlana stopped at the house, looking at the broken debris and the very faint but very real splotches of red that covered the walls. "This is where she was staying at…?" She thought to herself stepping inside and looking around. "There hadn't been too much of a fight inside, she could tell that by looking and so followed the blood prints to the outside area of the back, seeing the obliteration of the area. Roy had definitely used his trump card, the silver coin that they all possessed. It also made her realize something very important. Roy even at the weakest was an expert assassin and weapons user. How did it come that he had to use his own Silver coin on someone who was so totally broken physically she could hardly move?

Diclonius. Thought to be the evolutionary advancement of the human race. Two strange horns on their head, not even obscured by their radical hair color or blood red eyes. Vectors, long arm like appendages invisible to the naked eye, capable of destroying at the merest touch. Yet…Elrya seemed wholly different and not just because her inner instincts has manifested itself as a completely other person. She had, as she had heard Julius state, a very powerful conviction about her.

Alya. Even then, with her calm composure even she couldn't help but suppress a shudder. Diclonius were dangerous, one didn't have to be rocket scientist to figure that out, but Alya, she was beyond dangerous. She was the Diclonius instinct, her desire to kill humans knew no bounds and yet even then she was different. Dangerous…so very dangerous.

"Hm?" Orlana mumbled, bending down to look a splatter of blood that trailed off. Straightening her coat, she followed it.

* * *

><p>Roy came out from the office door, looking seriously at every person who was there. Miriana got on her feet, looking up at him. "How is she doing? Is she alright?"<p>

Roy sighed.

"She's dead." He said.

"WHAT!" Miriana screamed.

"I'm just kidding, the operation was a success, well we assume it was." Roy replied back.

"What do you mean assume?" Bando growled, not liking when things were assumed.

"The whole point was to keep other Diclonius from sensing her. We believe it's a success but unless some random Diclonius comes we won't exactly know if it works or not. "She's also gotten a lot better, so we'll be taking it easy but we'll still head out."

"You mean…to the facility?" Miriana said softly, holding her hands together. "That's right…which again I must clarify, these people are not just going to let you go. Miriana, take a moment to really think this over, all of have some sort of skill that will help us on this journey but you, not to be rude, but you don't really have anything."

"Of course she has something, Roy." Elrya uttered, walking out of the room. "Without her I, Yin and you would still be on the ground bleeding to death. She our moral support, someone who helps us go on even when the times get tough."

"Yeah!" Miriana cheered, hugging Elrya much to her surprise. "I'll always be your friend no matter what. Not just you Elrya but you too Alya!"

"Uh…y-yeah…" Alya muttered, scratching the back of her head.

"B-But…" She whimpered, looking down and holding her hands tightly. "…Killing is wrong…and you've never killed any person in your life." She mumbled, making Elrya feel very uncomfortable about a truth that was actually a lie. "I know that these people have done some very bad things, really bad things actually. Yet, if you kill them…then you'll…just be like them."

At this point, Elrya had wished that Roy had never said anything before. It might've been easier just to tell them that she was a murderer, that she had killed people before. Yet, if she did, she knew that Miriana and Yin would never be able to take it. But, Vladimir, Garder, Kakuzawa, people like them couldn't change, it was impossible. So much pain that they had caused her and countless others.

"I…don't know if I can." Elrya mumbled, looking away before Miriana grabbed her.

"Of course you can!" She yelled, shaking her. "There's a lot of good in this world! Everyone has a little bit of good in them, I'm sure even Vladimir!"

"Keep dreaming on that." Roy muttered.

"I'm sure of it! Maybe something bad happened to them a long time ago, just like it happened to you Elrya. Nobody should have to kill anybody, it's just…wrong! It's just plain wrong! Please don't do it Elrya! I don't want my friend to become a killer. Please!"

"Miriana…it's just that…"

"It's just that these people deserve to die!" Alya screeched, scaring Miriana. "Don't you understand it, these people tried to hurt me, they tried to kill me! Hell they'll kill you! Don't you understand?"

"…It's…just…wrong." She whimpered sadly. "…It's just…wrong…"

Alya sighed, letting Elrya back into the front who had to speak. "I'm going to head out, get some fresh air it's been quite a while since I got to move around a bit without my body feeling like crap." She uttered stopping when Yin threw something her way. Catching it, a small red hat which she knew what it was for and placing it on her head.

"I won't be long." She uttered, walking outside.

* * *

><p>"<em>It's…just…wrong." "Nobody should have to kill anybody, it's just…wrong!"<em>

"Alya, I won't deny that we're killers…and for the first time…I'm actually questioning it." Elrya mumbled. "I want…to make everyone who ever hurt us pay. Yet if we do, will we truly just be like them? Can you imagine it, if we we're anything like Vladimir."

"NO WAY!" Alya cried out. "We're nothing like him and you definitely aren't anything like him! I admit…some of things I thought have changed, but…"

Alya went quiet as Elrya walked up to a small area of the town, looking over to her left to see a small little church. Sighing, hardly believing she would even go to something like this as she didn't believe in any sort of god. Still, she found herself walking into the large cathedral completely empty and sitting somewhere in the middle row and putting her hands behind her head. "Why did you come here?" Alya asked.

"They say…that when you have a question that needs to be answered, and nobody else is able to answer it for you, God is said to answer back. They also say that God never answers and when He does, it doesn't make a bit of sense."

"Sounds kind of useless." Alya muttered, looking over as the pastor came over.

"Hello dear." He said. "There's no session today."

"I assume." Elrya uttered, bringing her hat down lower just to be on the safe side. "You're the priest here right?"

"That's correct." The pastor said kindly, sitting down next to the young girl.

"Do you think, a person like me could ever be forgiven?"

"I'm not sure what you mean?" The pastor replied honestly. "You look like an innocent child to me."

"Heh, the eyes can deceive. I don't believe in God, I don't believe in Heaven thought I certainly believe in Hell. I don't believe in miracles, I don't believe in sin, I don't believe in any of that stuff. Yet, I want to believe that even a person like me can change. I want to believe that I'm not alone. That I'm not just talking to myself day in and day out."

"I'm not really sure what you're talking about." The priest answered. "I became a pastor to teach what I believed to be the wonders of God's work yet there's not a single day that goes by when I don't ask myself 'is it all worth it?' I think and I answer myself 'Not entirely.' Sometimes I think that even God has forsaken me at points but then I think, even if God has forsaken me, I will not forsake those who I have promised to help."

Despite herself, Elrya actually smiled. "That's…nice."

* * *

><p>"ELRYA! ALYA!" Turning swiftly, she watched as the group rushed in, Miriana already hugging her deeply. "Elrya…you've been crying." Miriana said, surprising Elrya because honestly she hadn't even known so. Putting her hand to her face, she found out that it was true. Small little droplets hung from her eyes and floated down her chin. "Why are you crying Elrya?"<p>

"I…don't know." She muttered softly.

_Yeah you do. You're crying…because you don't want this to go away."_

"Miriana…will you always be my friend?"

"Of course Elrya! Always and forever."

"You know kid, you really are an idiot." Roy uttered, slightly irking the young Diclonius. "I want you to take a good look around you, we all have a different reason to do it, but we've all agreed to help you. "The point is, I, Yin, Miriana, even grumpy Bando over there…"

"Huh?" Bando grumbled.

"…All of us…we'll help you until the end."

"_I will not forsake those who I have promised to help."_

"Th-Thanks…damn your such an asshole." She muttered, meaning well thought apparently it decided to fly over Roy's sarcasm meter because he instantly got threatening. "Excuse me, I don't think you want to be calling me that, you stupid little girl."

"Hey! Can't you take a compliment!" Elrya roared back.

"Compliment! Give me my freaking arms back and then we'll talk about compli…WHOA!" He stopped and ducked as Miriana, almost on instincts brought out her tranquilizer and fired, missed and hitting none other than the priest straight in the neck who looked at it, before falling down into a slump on the church floor. Needless to say, Miriana was speechless.

"You just shot a priest…" Roy uttered, looking over his shoulders. "You're a bad girl, Miriana."

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry! I-I d-d-d-didn't mean t-to! Oh no! No! No! No! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Let it rest, he's asleep anyways. Besides churches bug me, I feel whenever I'm here, someone's going to take my money." Roy uttered, leaving the cathedral along with Bando and Yin. Miriana was still apologizing profusely until Elrya put a small hand on her shoulder and coaxed her back outside.

"…These…" Elrya thought. "…These…are the friends who have promised to help me."

"Yeah…" Alya uttered. "And Elrya, just remember that no matter what happens…

I will always be there for you."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another day another chapter. yet the story still has a long way before being finished. RR<p> 


	24. New Tastes

**Chapter 24: New Tastes**

"How are doing Mr. Director!" Vladimir exclaimed with his devilish smile, clasping his hands together and cracking his knuckles. "I've heard you sent out a small group of people to find Lucy, don't you think it's a bit unwise to send mere humans? Wouldn't it be better to send something more…interesting?"

"Are you implying something?" Kakuzawa uttered coldly to the man whom for the most part had just waltzed in a few hours ago. Had he not given any information on Lucy, he'd have had him shot long ago. "Oh no, no, no…" Vladimir jovially answered back, waving his hands defensively. "I'm just saying that for somebody who believes themselves to be God, you'd have made a wiser decision. What I'm trying to say good sir, is that for a God, you're pretty stupid." The dark look in Vladimir's eyes was almost matched by the dark scowl from Kakuzawa's hideous face. "Oh…have I touched a nerve?" The wicked man asked, cracking his knuckles again so that the echoed off the white walls.

"Tell me Kakuzawa…what do you want most of all?" Vladimir suddenly said, asking a question out of the blue. "What do you desire most of all? I for one desire just one thing, total and complete and absolute suffering. I want nothing but the ultimate frail world, destroyed, obliterated and mindlessly reaped of all the good in it. At the very end I want to see something so horrific it would make insanity seem like a blissful wonder!"

As usual Vladimir's ranting was beginning to get on Kakuzawa's nerve who ordered him out and wondering just who the hell the man was really. Vladimir with his false airy disposition decided to pay another visit to lonely little Diclonius #28 who seemed to have forged a small liking to the man who was always kind to her. "Well hello #28!" Vladimir cheered, patting the girl on the head who smiled up at him. "Vlad-san came to visit…" She said in a perkily small voice, nudging up closer to his hand as best as the chains around her would allow. "That's right! Certainly I would want to miss a chance to visit my favorite little Diclo in the whole world!" The man said in an almost sing song like voice. "You've got a lot cuts on you."

The Diclonius bowed her head, looking at the scars that ran from her right shoulder down to her belly. "I've got something for you." Vladimir said, pulling a little something from his pockets. It appeared to be a small ear bud but with the engraving a flower on it. "So pretty…" #28 uttered, looking wide eyed up at it nearly trying to reach for it. Vladimir bent down and placed it on her ear, smiling widely. "It looks wonderful on you." He proclaimed, earning a happy grin from a girl who knew nothing but pain for most of her life. "Is it really!" She yelled back, wishing to see it herself. "Certainly!" Vladimir exclaimed.

It was enough to earn a gleeful laugh from the young Diclonius.

Vladimir's appearance throughout the facility was frightening given his crazy look but the Director had stated that he was here on some sort of business, whatever that might have been. He always had the dark expression of manic glee in his eyes, often talking to other people in what might be considered normal conversations and yet it was anything but normal. They were down-right scared of this man, this wicked incomprehensible devil. Vladimir Cents as usual took it with stride, enjoying every bit of fear etched shock he could get out. But for now Vladimir was currently outside, letting the salty sea air hit his face before bringing out his radio.

"Garder, guess where I am?"

"The Main Facility."

"Oh? Are you mind reader now?"

"No, I got word from Julius that you arrived there as well."

"Julius knows, how?" Vladimir asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Because I'm right here." Julius said, standing next to him with his brown hat tightly pulled over his head. Vladimir looked him for a good 10 seconds before bursting out into a fit of laughter. "That's pretty damn good Julius! I didn't know you were a magician."

"I'm not." Julius said calmly. "I just drove one of the boats over here."

"You can drive a boat, that would've been nice to know." Vladimir chuckled.

"I know, I had to get rid of the bodies so nobody would notice." Julius answered back, starring at the white building. Perhaps due to being one himself, he felt quite uneasy being at the main place where his species were experimented on under the rule of a megalomaniac. "What exactly are you planning on doing here Vladimir?"

"Oh just having a little bit of fun that's all." He replied back, waving enthusiastically at a bunch of people who quickly scurried away. Julius of course knew Vladimir well enough to know he was holding in a lot of information and he also knew that if he tried to get it out. "Do you mind if I speak to Garder?" He asked catching the radio casually as Vladimir threw it back at him as the man left, whistling optimistically. Once he was gone, Julius put his voice down to speak.

"Garder."

"Aye, Julius what's going on right now? What's Vladimir up to?"

"I don't know, ever since Vladimir fought Elrya and the others he's become almost obsessed with her. While I'm not sure exactly what he's planning on doing here, I think it's safe to say that Vladimir is running his own agenda." Garder paused at the other end for a moment before saying, "How do you think this will impede in finding Elrya?"

"It won't, but that's not the problem. The problem is that Vladimir as I have said has become obsessed with her. Before the members of Cents were gathered for the soul purpose of just assassinating her, nothing more and nothing less. In short we no way to truly trust Vladimir anymore, but what we can do is watch him carefully. It's our best option for now."

"Alright." Garder uttered. "See you around."

* * *

><p>"The blood trail goes cold." Orlana thought to herself, looking at the plain ground while the people of the city bustled by without a clue. She came upon a lonely little building, almost unseen when surrounded by the large and robust buildings around it. It was for this very reason that she decided to go towards it in the first place. It seemed, so out of place, like the kind of place where you would hide something important. A place, where somebody important could hide. Sure enough her suspicions were true as two men garbed in white blocked her path to the door.<p>

"I'm sorry, this place is off limits to outsiders."

"What is this place? It seems kind of off for its location. If it was so important having it so close to civilization is bad."

"That's not for us to answer." One of them replied strictly while Orlana looked up, narrowing her eyes when she saw a streak of black pass by the window. "I could be mistaken…" She thought. "…But I'm fairly certain that was the Main Facility's Chief Kurama. I wonder what he could be doing up there. Well at the very least it now gives me a perfect reason to check this building out."

"Hey, stop right there!" one of them ordered as the Clock Stopper walked forward, bringing out her unique trinket she held it up to the guard's faces and began to mumble in what could only be described as words before, almost suddenly, the guard's dropped to the ground in the deepest of slumbers. Silently stepping over their bodies and opening the doors. It seemed, much like a hospital, with closed wards on both sides. As she thought her appearance wasn't expected as the staff members rushed over to her.

"You aren't allowed to be here. This is a private ward." A young woman with short black hair said, kindly yet also strictly.

"I'm here on official business." Orlana said, speaking the truth but also secretly wanting to know something as well. Once again she was given her answers when they told her that she had to leave anyways. Most people would have asked for some sort of clarification of their authority, they just wanted her to leave. Of course the last thing she was to do now was leave. She walked to the first door on the right, hearing their yelps just as she opened it and starred inside.

There, looking fearfully at her was a little horned girl.

"Oh no…" she heard one of them mumbled before she slowly closed the door and turned around. "Now, I believe I have no reason to remain in secret anymore. I thought my hunches were true and now I demand to see Kurama."

"N-Nobody with that name is…"

"Do not lie to me." Zeruda answered darkly, bringing out her watch. "You can either get Kurama out here, or I can force you to bring him out. Do it now." Unable to resist, the staff members hesitantly called Kurama down who already knew well before he saw her that something was wrong. "As I thought, it is your Kurama. I've already seen what's going on in here so I would kindly appreciate if you did not lie to me. This is obviously a very unique place so tell me, where is Alya Elrya?"

"…"

"Listen Kurama, I already know that you once housed her. If she is not here then you will tell me where she is. Despite what you may think, I have no intention of telling anybody, especially the facility about this place or what you've been doing. However you will tell me where that girl is because if you don't, I will have this place searched and these girls will be brought back. That is of course if their lucky. They may decide to just kill them."

"Damn." Kurama grumbled, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"I already told you that I have no intention of speaking about this place though. Much like the people here I don't have any problems with Diclonius, especially as I work with one myself." She didn't bother answer his confused look. "Tell me where she is and I will leave without any problems. Even if I was asked about this place I would only lie and tell them something that would make them forget it. You have a choice now, I can force you to tell me where she is and have this place locked down by facility members. What will it be."

Kurama swallowed deeply, knowing she was telling the truth even if he didn't know her powers. He did not want to betray Elrya or the others but if didn't say anything then the Diclonius in this hospital would be taken away if not outright killed. It would also mean that the director would know about his betrayal and may even go as far as to look for Nana.

"Why do you want to find her?"

"I was given the order by Garder F. Morotisan to find and execute her."

"A single woman, to find and kill a Diclonius?" Kurama thought. He wanted to lie, just tell a small little fib so that nobody would get hurt and yet people would get hurt. The moment she found out he was lying, he could kiss this entire place and the Diclonius in it goodbye. It pained him to do it but perhaps he could tell the truth without giving out too much information. He would have to say a bit thought and only hope that Elrya and the others had moved away by then.

"The Diclonius you call Elrya was dispatched already the place that I know that she was at was at a small church."

"Thank you." Orlana said, actually kindly too and without sarcasm or disrespect.

"Do I have your word that you will not mention this place?"

"You have my word, that the only time this place will ever be mentioned is to send other Diclonius for help here. I already told you that I have nothing against this place or the Diclonius in it. I have nothing against Elrya either; I merely have a job that needs to be done. You lost our wife a long time ago due to poor circumstances and you are forced to work with the director lest you have your own daughter used against you. I too may lose something very important to me."

"Then why are you doing it?" Kurama asked anxiously.

"Why are you effectively betraying the Head Director and helping out the Diclonius? Perhaps to make up for the crimes you committed in your past? Perhaps to make it up to the dozens of children you killed? Perhaps to fill in the gaping hole in your heart that was left when your wife died? Perhaps to put a little good in the world that so desperately needs it. I thank you for your cooperation, I will check out this church that you mentioned. Do not worry, I always keep my promises."

* * *

><p>"I'm so hungry!" Elrya cried aloud, hearing her own stomach rumbling. It had been a week since she had anything good to eat and the first thing she wanted to do was not go to the first facility but actually go to the most expensive restaurant in Kamakura and eat to her heart's content. She nearly got Roy to pay for the meal, demanding that it was for compensation for being an ass to her but ultimately Yin agreed to pay for the meals.<p>

The place they ate at was a relatively well known place in Kamakura, offering a variety of dishes from both the east and the west. Alya secretly felt a bit ill around all the humans and was partly surprised that nobody would making a scene as she was used to being looked down upon. It was hard, accepting humans as something other than monsters but slowly but surely she was starting to see them in a different light. She was also, if only slowly, becoming more attached to Yin thought she wasn't sure if it was become of adoration or just the fact that Elrya, who loved him, shared the same consciousness as her.

They sat at the far end of the room, a massive round table stationed there just offering itself to be used. Elrya sat in the middle, putting her hands behind her head and making sure her hat was on tight thought she didn't expect much to happen in such a crowded place as this. Miriana sat on her right as Yin sat on her left, both of them picking up the menus. Roy and Bando at the far ends, the armless man situating himself rather awkwardly as it was hard to get balanced in such a position without arms. Bando meanwhile looked at the menu as well with his hand on his cheek, merely thinking that eating would give him energy to kick Lucy's smug ass.

"Little help Miriana." Roy asked, looking at the menu. She smiled kindly picking it up and lifting it up for him to see.

"This is the first time…I've actually ever eaten in a place like this? Both of us really I guess." Elrya thought to Alya who agreed. Therefore she was going to order something so delicious it would make her stomach burst. It also reminded her of Vladimir's little bit with her vector. Curiously she brought it out, knowing it was invisible to everyone else and very slowly reached up, opened her mouth and…

"Ummm, Elrya?" She stopped, so intent on starring at her vector that she didn't realize that her mouth was only a few centimeters away from Yin's face. Everyone else just looked at her strangely except for Miriana who couldn't help but smile broadly at what she saw a very romantic scene. Embarrassed and blushing, Elrya quickly turned away, letting her vector vanish as the host came by to get their orders. "What was that about?" Roy mumbled, giving his order to the host as he went around.

"Nothing." The young girl said quickly, still blushing. "Oh what am I going to eat?" She asked looking at the host and then at the menu. "Ummm…crap!" She thought, looking at words that didn't make a single bit of sense to her. She didn't want to order something stupid either. "I'll have the special!" She answered cheerfully.

"Alright then, one special coming up."

The meals arrived, Bando has ordered what appeared to be an entire concoction of meats consisting of one prime ribbed steak, fish, and chicken and on the side as if in mockery, a little bit of rice. Miriana much like a young female would order a mostly vegetable dish with a small bit of meat and rice on the side. Yin had effectively ordered fish as well while Roy had ordered himself a large dish of noodles and rice with bits of chicken in it. Then Elrya's food came in. She looked at the long piece of eel, eyes still on its head lying over the spinach leaves. She starred at her for a whole 10 seconds before taking her knife and chop sticks and poking it hesitantly.

"It seems…kind of…squishy.' She mumbled.

"It's the special that you ordered." Roy replied snidely. "You should have just asked what some of the stuff was, it would've been a lot easier than just asking for something random. Besides everyone knows that specials end up being crap anyways."

"I didn't know I was going to get this though! I mean look at it, it still has the freaking eyes on it. Ugh!"

"Oh well, you ordered it, so why don't you take a huge bite out of it?" Roy said with a small smile on his face, enticing the young Diclonius' anger but hardly doing anything to quell the sickening knot in her stomach. "

"Well hey, how are you going to eat your food anyways?" Elrya asked Roy. The answer to that was given moments later when The Sniper dove onto to his place, literally scarfing down his meal with no intention of any sort of politeness whatsoever.

"How rude." He heard some young woman mumbled angrily at his rather poor actions. He took it rather personally because he began yelling from the end of the table, much to the chagrin of everyone else.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any arms! See! I'm an armless man, I don't have any sort of appendages to pick up stuff! So why don't you mind your own business and let other eat their food! WAITER, A STRAW!" He yelled over.

"This food is pretty damn good!" Bando growled, scarfing his down much like Roy did. Miriana smiling cheerily with slight awkwardness, ate her food calmly and politely as did Yin. They were making a huge mess, especially with Roy literally on the table, stuffing his face with his mouth. Elrya was still looking at her food, slowly poking it and almost certain that it was moving at points also. "Elrya, would you like to have some of my meal?" Yin asked kindly.

"OH PLEASE!" She nearly begged, looking at his meal which looked far more delicious.

"Excuse me sir, you're being quite disrespectful." One of the hosts said, looking at Roy strictly.

"Tell me sir, are you blind or just stupid? I don't have arms, see? Nada! Don't worry we'll pay for the meal just take it easy and do your job. Besides how else am I going to eat it. Hey Elrya, you want to feed the poor armless dude?"

She looked at him, and the smiled something mischievous. "Certainly Roy…" She answered, picking up a piece of the eel and bringing it over to his mortified face. "Go on…take a big huge bite out of it. You said you wanted to."

He looked at her for a long time, then opened his mouth and took it. The look on his face was absolutely priceless. Elrya chuckled deeply as he slowly chewed it, his eyes watering from the bitter taste that was left in his mouth. "How's it taste?" she whispered, still smiling at him.

"It's delicious…" He moaned.

"Really? Go ahead and swallow it then."

"I'd rather not." Roy groaned.

"Oh…but you said you wanted me to feed you? You a liar now?" Elrya was having too much fun with this right now and burst out laughing when Roy finally swallowed and collapsed forward back on the table. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! I can't believe you actually did that! That looked so nasty! Tell me, did it slither down your throat?"

"Just shut up." Roy mumbled, seeing how his idea had backfired on him and glugging down his water with haste to remove the foul taste.

"Something's going on over there?" Miriana spoke out, seeing some sort of argument with two bruisers and a young woman, the same one who had yelled at Roy for that matter. They were coming onto her, roughly grabbing her arm and yanking her forward. Roy moved over and got up as did Bando, dark shadows under their eyes as they moved past the manager. "Don't worry." Roy uttered.

"This won't take long." Bando concluded.

"HEY SIR!" Roy said happily nudging up against the first bruiser. "You know it's quite rude to hit a lady like that. You need to be more gentle with them."

"Who the hell are you to get in our business! Screw off!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You see I can't take a young and innocent woman being hurt." He replied.

"WHAT AM I THEN YOU JERK!" Elrya yelled from the table.

"So I suggest you kindly let her go, and remove yourself form vicinity."

"Like hell punkass!" The man roared, swinging his fist towards Roy's face who swerved to the side and swung his foot upward. The sound of his cheekbone cracking against his foot was quite pleasing to the sniper who's kick was so power it sent the man flying and slamming onto a spare table. His companion rushed with his fist raised and felt it stop as Bando caught it almost casually with his mechanical one, holding it steadily. "You're in the way, get the hell out." He growled, squeezing his metal fingers tightly, threatening to break his hand.

"Guh! Ow! Ow! Alright! Alright! We'll leave!" He yelled, breaking for the exit along with his friend.

"You'll pay for that you bastards!"

Roy merely responded by lifting his foot up and shaking it a bit. "You alright girl?" He asked.

"Yeah…" She moaned.

"Violence isn't the answer!" Miriana said almost strictly which didn't have much of an effect with the innocent look in her eyes. "But that was very nice thing for you and Bando-san to do for that young woman."

"Oh I see…" Elrya mumbled sarcastically. "You help her but you shoot me." She turned around, opening her mouth and letting Yin put a bit of his meal into it, blushing slightly at what she was doing but nonetheless enjoying it all the while. Roy and Bando's commotion had caused quite a ruckus, some of it poor but most of it actually cheering the two on for getting rid of the bruisers. "Sorry about the whole meal thing." The woman called over.

"Nah don't sweat it. You can find better people than that anyways." Roy exclaimed, before looking to the left casually at the door and nearly having a heart attack.

!

"What's wrong?" Yin asked, seeing Roy's tensed expression. Roy was sweating profusely, eyes wide as he starred at the door and the very person he did not want coming in.

"Damn it. It's her…Orlana Zeruda." He hissed while everyone at the table tensed up immediately. "Crap, this is so bad."

And bad it truly was, for at the very moment, Orlana looked directly at them.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Yes, I write these chapter's quickly because I'm good like that. This one's a bit longer than the others which I can only conclude is a good thing. Please keep reading and enjoying.<p> 


	25. A Side Dish Of Illusions

**Chapter 25: A Side Dish Of Illusions**

"Roy synth." Orlana uttered coldly, glaring at the man with her single opened eye before trailing to look at the others. Bando, having been an SAT soldier was somebody she recognized though she couldn't say the same for Miriana and Yin. Then at last she stopped dead in the middle of the group, starring eye to eye with Alya Elrya. The young girl clenched her teeth shut, slowing bringing out one of her corporeal arms.

"I suggest you put that away." Orlana said, opening her left eye to reveal the gleaming silver of her coin.

"Kuh! You can…see it? Impossible." Elrya said.

"Impossible?" Orlana answered as if surprised such an answer from the girl. "Invisible arms that defy most physics, the ability to move said appendages through physical matter, and you call it impossible. I'd have thought that after facing Roy and Vladimir you'd have learned to accept some things, I guess I was wrong. I guess even now you are still just an arrogant little girl."

"Orlana! Listen!" Roy yelled, getting up and facing her even though he knew he didn't have a chance in hell against her. "Vladimir! Garder! We've all been wrong! Elrya isn't the enemy, Kakuzawa and the others are!"

"You should know Roy, that I won't accept that notion."

"Unfortunately that's true Orlana, I know that well enough myself. However you should seriously take this moment to think. We're killers; we kill to earn money for whatever reason that might be. I don't know exactly what your reason might be but I'm sure it's an excellent one at that. The thing is, killing her...!" He yelled looking over at Elrya. "…isn't going to solve our problems anymore! We need to deal with this head on, and take down the ones who are truly at the heart of all our troubles."

"Why do you such a change in your demeanor Roy?" Zeruda asked coldly. "Why are you switching sides so suddenly?"

"Because I know…exactly what it means to lose something important and having no way to get it back. I can tell, in those eyes that if lose that important thing, you'll go into a wild revenge just like I did."

"…Sorry Roy, I can't do that yet."

"…I know." Roy muttered, before leaping forward, his foot soaring into the air as Orlana ducked down, her brown coat fluttering before almost instantly unsheathing a long yet thin sword and slashing it across Roy's front who barely side stepped out of the way. The blade slashed against the table, slicing it straight in half and filling the air with splinters. The commotion which was already high anyways went overboard as people ran away screaming and causing a ruckus. "Elrya and the rest of you! Get out now; separate also, I'll hold her back!" He yelled, not sure how long his last statement was going to last. He dodged another swipe, feeling the tip of the sword slash across his cheek. It wasn't as if he was going to like it, but tough times called for tough measures, and there was reason he still had his spare bullets.

"Don't underestimate me, Orlana Zeruda!" Roy roared, concentrating and firing right as Orlana brought out her watch. By the time he even registered what had happened. He had fired and even to his own eyes his bullets seemed to slow down before Orlana appeared behind him, aiming at his back.

"Aren't you the one…whose underestimating me…Roy synth?"

*SLASH!*

"GUH!" Spitting up blood, The Sniper stumbled forward, feeling the stab of agony coursing into back where the cut had occurred, not bothering to look around, he knew where Orlana was and aimed, firing another shot in the hopes that it would hit her. It didn't and truth be told he wasn't surprised, he just wasn't expecting to see her, low on the ground with her sword swinging for his chest.

*SLICE!*

"Agh! Dammit! How is she doing all this? Wait…it couldn't be…the moment she brought her watch out perhaps?" He thought, eyeing the spray of blood that flew from his chest. "Now I get it, my bullets aren't getting slower, nor is she getting faster. All of it is an illusion created from her watch! Still, even if I know what it is, I don't know how to deal with it! Shit!"

"Look away!"

"Huh!" Caught off guard but listening anyways, Roy turned away from Orlana right before the bright flash of light filled the room, partially blinding The Sniper but not enough to keep him down. Orlana however didn't get so lucky. The white light filled her world, blinding her as she stepped back several meters to distance herself from any danger.

"Is that you…Bando? I thought I told you to get the hell out of here!" Roy yelled.

"Stop bitching about it! It's bad enough you're getting your ass handed to you!" He roared, hearing something from the side before the sword slashed against side. "You bitch!" He roared, wondering how she could even see herself though the answer to that was given soon enough. Her left eye was still tightly shut yet her right one was wide opened, the silver gleam of her coin glaring brightly. Like a true soldier, Bando pulled out his tungsten with lightning fast reflexes and pulled the trigger. Unfortunately Orlana having seen the movements reacted instantly, taking her sword she slashed upwards, taking the gun and nearly taking Bando's hand with it. Almost as if expecting it, Bando pulled out another gun just as swiftly as before and yet even Orlana managed to see this one coming as well.

The gun, like its predecessor flew into the air just as Zeruda lunged with her sword and found it caught in the soldier's hand, slicing across something metallic.

"Huh? His hand…it's fake!" She thought urgently.

"Caught ya!" Bando grinned, pulling out his third magnum and aiming at her forehead and firing.

"Who are you shooting at?" Orlana asked, appearing behind the massive soldier as if she had been there the entire time. "WHAT THE FUCK!" The man roared, turning around only to feel the blade slide into his gut and out, dropping him like a fly while Roy watched in disbelief. Bando's credit through the fight had to be given, he didn't let himself just lay down and bleed, he got up whipped the fourth magnum out and fired, missing every single shot somehow. "Shit! I'm shooting her right? Why can't I hit her? Why can't I hit that bitch!"

"This is becoming most tiresome." Orlana mumbled, taking another thin blade out and after slashing across the man's gut in an X-shaped format, she pinned his hand down with the sword "Stay down military dog."

"She's…absolutely screwing with us." Roy thought taking one of the spinning bullets and firing at the back of her head. Whether by instinct or luck, Orlana hearing the zoom of the weapon turned her head just enough to avoid a fatal strike. She flew forward, eyes widening a bit before fumbling forward trying to collect her balance. "Damn, I forgot about Roy." She thought, facing him directly and pulling out her watch activating its powers.

"Shit! More illusions!" The Sniper thought gravely thought another thought did come to his mind. "Why was I able to hit her though? It wasn't deep but still, last time I tried I couldn't even touch her. Could it be that she can only use her illusions on one person at a time. That might make sense, I saw a flash of her watch when she was fighting Bando. Shit! I hope that's right!

BANDO!" Roy yelled. "Get the hell up and help me out here! Her illusions only work on one person at a time.

"Hm!" Orlana mumbled while Bando forcibly moved his hands, taking the blades out of the ground and then pulling the thin blade out with his mechanical arm. They both moved simultaneous, Orlana's gaze, now showing surprise on it was too occupied with Roy. Maybe Roy couldn't hit her but Bando, no longer affected by the illusions could finally take her down. Yet, both of them discovered that they were looking directly at a golden watch, dangling from both of Orlana's wrists. The moment of realization hit them before both combatants felt the thin blade slide into their guts, come out and with movement almost like dance it was so elegant, she slashed once against each of their chests, dropping them down for good.

"Ugh…shit…" Roy cursed, trying to pick himself up but without arms and his body wounded deeply, was much easier said than done. Bando wasn't doing much better himself, though if looks could kill, Orlana's head would be on a silver platter right now. "Don't you…dare look down on me…you bitch."

"Look down on you?" Orlana muttered, hearing random gunshots where Roy was desperately trying to hit her and yet couldn't. "I never once looked down on you, military dog. I am just vastly superior to you."

"YOU WANT TO SAY THAT AGAIN YOU BITCH!"

"No I don't. You two have caused me too much trouble and now I've lost Elrya. You did well enough, both of you did. Stay there, the only thing you can do right now is bleed calmly onto the floor." With those encouraging words, she left, leaving the small crowd that had decided to stay looking mortified. The young woman stepped outside, hearing the sirens coming as she well expected but with no way to tell where Elrya was, she had to be content in walking one way and hoping she was on the right track. She had to give the two men some credits, they held her back but there was no longer anytime to dawdle, she needed to find Elrya as soon as possible.

* * *

><p>"You two! We'll call a hospital right away!"<p>

"The hell you will!" Roy growled, lifting his legs up and flipping himself onto his feet, stumbling back into the wall and wishing he could at least put a hand on his wounds. "What you people saw here…did not happen. Don't talk about it, don't call about it and don't do anything about it. If you do, I will fucking shoot you and your fucking families."

Fearing their safety their safety the crowd instantly dispersed, leaving Roy and Bando alone in the broken down restaurant. The Sniper of course did not mean any of it, the but last thing they needed was to get Elrya and the others involved in the media like that. "How you doing over there soldier?"

"Pissed off!" Bando growled with pure vehemence. It wasn't like his attitude was soft in the first place but considering this was the second time he had been beaten by a woman and now put Orlana second to Lucy of people whose faces he was going to crush between his fingers like grapes.

"Tsk, I know what you mean." He uttered, breathing heavily. "You wouldn't have anything in there for these wounds, a few medical supplies."

"Yeah…Yeah…Yeah…" Bando mumbled, reaching inside and grunting in pain as he did so. "It's not enough to fix this shit though." Conversing with Roy, Bando limped over, applying a few bandages to Roy's wounds and his own though without Yin to really check up on them and apply some real medicine, then they were short out of luck. "That bitch…she was…" Bando began.

"Yeah. Orlana Zeruda, The Clock Stopper. She was originally as I said the 3rd Cent of Vladimir's group and she still has the power of one too. Again the only reason she's the 4th right now is because she chose to become it. I can hear sirens in the distance, we should get out of here."

"Aye." Bando agreed while the two limped out and got away just as the crowd and police was coming by.

"Yin should still have your number because otherwise we have no way to get in contact with Elrya and the others. I'm sure they'll you at some point but until then we should head back to Yin's house."

"Sure, whatever." The soldier muttered.

* * *

><p>Leaning against one of the building walls, Orlana recognized the figure of Julius Javel. Nodding at him, she leaned against the wall herself, keeping her voice down as they spoke. "I ran into Roy at that restaurant over there." She said motioning with her finger at the place being crowded with officers. "I was busy dealing with him and the soldier Bando while she got away, how long have you been here."<p>

"Not long about 5 minutes actually, I've been doing work for Garder right now so I haven't had time to get out much."

"Hm? 5 minutes you say, Elrya should have left by then, didn't you see her?"

"No and even if I did, it is your job to find and eliminate her." Julius replied simply.

"I know that, however you would have at least sensed her right?"

Her question was reasonable and Julius closed his eyes, sensing his surroundings and checking everything in sight. "I did not feel anything from the restaurant before and after I got here. However if what you say is true I was there when Elrya was at it. I can only conclude that something has happened that prevents me from sensing her. Right now I can only sense one Diclonius, somewhere in the west. That might be your best bet."

"Appreciate it. What's Garder up to if I may ask."

"Keeping Kakuzawa occupied has become difficult and there's also a problem with Vladimir."

"I assume you mean something other than his insane obsession with suffering." Orlana uttered.

"Yes. Ever since Vladimir failed to kill Elrya he's become obsessed with her. I and Garder believe that he is started to act on his own will now, no longer caring about things like assassination or even us. Garder and I are keeping tabs on him, keep going after Elrya though that hasn't changed at all, just be on your guard. I'm going to be telling Vorono this as well."

"Things have become quite hectic haven't they Julius?" Orlana replied, looking up at the cloudy sky. "I'm going to check out that signature you mentioned. I'll see you around, hopefully."

"Aye, later, Orlana Zeruda." Julius answered back his eyes also set up to the clouds that littered the skies.

* * *

><p>"Bad idea I guess…ugh!" Roy said, wincing as his body racked itself with another dose of pain. "Damn you Orlana." Surrounding the entire house were groups of soldiers, keeping it locked down and guarded at every possible angle.<p>

"I guess they decided to come after my little incident over here. Well we know that they won't be coming here at least." Roy said from behind the tree, narrowing his eyes at all the people were going in and out of the house. "Come on, before they decide to come here." He said to his partner who was the more glad to leave anyways.

Roy's plan to let the others call them seemed smart enough, there was just one minor problem that he had not foreseen. Yin held the number to Bando's cell phone and thus would be the one to call him the problem was the fact that this number was inside the heavily guarded ho use. The second problem being that Roy nor Bando knew about this and thus would literally have to search with their own eyes for them. It also meant some other serious problems, one of them being their incredibly weakened state. If Orlana or any other members of Cents decided to come around, they could basically kiss their ass's goodbye. The second problem lay with Elrya and the others.

Yin and Miriana were not fighters especially Miriana and no member of Cents were going to be taken down by a mere tranquilizer gun either. That only left Elrya and technically Alya as well to defend herself and the others if need be from a person that Roy knew she didn't stand a chance against.

Unbeknownst to any of them however, another set of actions were being taken.

The soldiers were hurrying up the stair cases, breathing heavily into the masks and guns raised. Many were sweating in their black masks, knowing the terror that the Queen had caused for the main facility, how she had murdered dozens of people with nothing but a helmet on her head. The first person to open the door might just get shot out of pure fear from the soldiers, the anxiety rushing through their veins and they imagined their limbs being torn off instantly.

"Nyu!"

*BANG!*

It happened at once, they knew her picture, they knew those horns as they door opened up and once the first shot was fired, a bloodbath arose without a single bit of remorse.

* * *

><p>"Damn it!" Kakuzawa was angry if his voice meant anything and it didn't help his demeanor that Vladimir kept his unusually proud smirk on his face. "What's wrong Director-san? You seem kind of angry?"<p>

"Those…idiot men!"

"Oh? I'm guessing they found Lucy, or maybe Lucy found them, or maybe they just went mad from the revelation and shot each other? Oh the amount of suffering that must've occurred has to have been astounding. I wish I could've seen their faces when they realized how outmatched they truly were. I told you to be more careful Director-san!"

"Shut up! You're the one who told me where she was."

"I did, I told you exactly where she was and I also told you that it might not be wise to send those who aren't prepared. Now you lost a bunch of fine young men to a crazy little woman. You need to plan these things out better Director-san, a lot less people get hurt."

"Grr, I don't need you telling me what I need, human!"

"Oooh, nasty." Vladimir utter, putting on a fake frown. "You're so cruel Director-san, hurting my feelings like that. I mean I came all this way to the island, had to look for a boat the first time too, that was troublesome. Then I went through all the trouble of getting here to your office, getting passed the people and even risking my dear life to see some of the Diclonius here. I have through a lot!" He yelled happily, flexing his fingers so that the knuckles cracked.

"23.45 minutes." He said randomly , causing the elder man to raise an eyebrow.

"That's how long it would take, for me to completely and utterly slaughter you and every last man, woman, child, human and inhuman on this pathetic little island you call home. It would take me that long to kill every last person including your dear little daughter snuggle down 2 kilometers beneath our feet. It would take a total of 82.59 minutes to head to Lucy's place, find and bring her severed head to you and then drop it into the waste bin.

It would take me one full week, to kill every last person in Kakmakura, down to the last wee little kitten and puppy.

It would take me 8 months to annihilate the entire population of Japan down to its very last microscopic sperm cell.

It would take me 2 years to obliterate the entire continent of Asia, effectively eliminating every last being that has ever existed.

It would take me 7 years to make the entire northern hemisphere a dead zone.

It would take me 12 years to make the planet into nothing more than dry wasteland, with absolutely no living creatures, big or small surviving.

It would take me…just a moment to relish all the amount of suffering that I could compose." He uttered, the broadest, widest, most devilish grin on his face. His eyes glowing with demonic gladness while Kakuzawa, of course getting worried ground his teeth in frustration.

"But I won't!" Vladimir suddenly exclaimed, whistling a tuneful sound out of the blue. "Cause if I killed everyone, I would no longer be able to enjoy the vast suffering that I can cause. I love every last bit of suffering that is imaginable so I want you to find Lucy, I want you to get those Diclonius out ready for the world! I want to see a world of Diclonius because humans while unique get old. A world of Diclonius that I could make suffer until the day I die! No…longer than that…I could make it last longer than that…" Eyes widening to the point where his pupils were only black dots. He was laughing, chuckling and squirming with so much happiness one might have thought he was having a seizure.

"Find her! Collect her! Mate with her! Kill every last human that you see! Be killed, be murdered, be annihilated, the world is filled with so much suffering to be had. Complete your objective Kakuzawa! I want to see this world that you desire, a world of Lebensborn! I want to see a world, an amazing world that you desire! Because I want to see the amount of suffering that will occur!

KAKUZAWA!" He roared, pointing at the shocked aged director.

"I want to see…the ultimate suffering in the world. So I'm going to help you, I will come and collect Lucy for you! I will bring her to you and let you have your way with her, mind body and soul! Rape her, use her to your fitting and sire her children! Do we have a deal?"

Not as if he enjoyed his company but, perhaps he could use Vladimir for his own bidding. He could have him bring Lucy to him and then he would shoot that loud mouthed grin off of his face once and for all.

"That would be great." He uttered, pulling off one of his monstrous smiles as well, the kind of smiles that said he was right, always right and no crazy blonde man was going to change that. He would use him as he used all of his pawns."

"Arigato!" Vladimir exclaimed, turning tail coat and walking out.

"_I desire a world of complete and absolute suffering and I desire to be at the center of it. I desire hell, just plain torturous hell. I desire to die by the hands of that girl Elrya Alya. Yes, she is such an interesting case, a most wonderful sort of person. But I just can't die, that would abandon the entire purpose of 'Pinpoint Lifeline'. The action to make that girl suffer something so extreme, to literally destroy her. _

_Originally this entire thing was merely business. Working for Garder to hunt down a single girl, but now…oh it's changed so much from back then. I want you to get stronger Elrya Alya, I want you to get better for our next meeting. I don't plan to kill you just yet, but at some point you will have to wake up from your dream._

_Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"_

* * *

><p>Vladimir made quick visit down to the basement of the facility, his desire to cause pain acting like a drug in his body. He walked into a single door where one of the many girls lay on the floor, their hands chained to the wall. She glared up at him, around 16 years old and most of her face obscured by her bright pink hair and probably expecting some sort of experimentation to happen to her again.<p>

"Coming into the door way, the more man was suddenly assaulted by the young Diclonius…" he spoke as if telling a thrilling story and leaving her confused. "He desperately tried to get away but she STRUCK!" He pulled the one of his own poles out of his neck and jabbed it harshly into his side. The girl was left speechless.

"It hurt! The blood spewing onto the ground as the girl laughed, enjoying the man's misery. He tried to take several steps back but she struck again." Vladimir stabbed himself in the shoulder, his eyes growing wide while the Diclonius just stared incredulously at him. "It seemed like it would be the end of him but he countered and pulled from his pockets a gun!" She saw it coming, the black magnum and this time she truly did bring out her vector. Yet they were nothing to a tungsten bullet that slammed into her knee, shattering the bone. The closed walls would always keep her high screams silenced, so that only Vladimir could hear it and when he spoke, even though it was calm and collect as before, it could somehow be heard over the high pitched wails.

"She screamed in horror and in agony as the man, fearing for his life shot her again in the other knee."

*BANG!*

"AAAAAAAAAAAGH! ARRRGH! UGH! UGH!"

"Tears streamed down her face, her vectors useless now because of the amount of pain in her body and the third shot came."

*BANG!*

Blood spewed right above her heart, making the lower side of her neck crimson and letting it flow all the way down her front. She gagged on her blood, spitting it up and crying tears of fear and pain as Vladimir stepped forward, licking his lips all the same. He bent down on one knee, and began sadistically lap up the blood on her neck with his tongue, letting it slide around lips. "The poor girl…" He whispered in her ears, bringing his rod out so that she could see it. "…Could not bear to live with such agony anymore."

She watched as he turned his pole, revealing a very subtle and thin blade like part on one of its sides, almost invisible from a distance. Her tear filled eyes widened even more, whimpering like a small child and shaking her head just the same. She wanted to black out, to let all the suffering she was going through just vanish in an instant. Yet it didn't vanish, she could feel his sickening hot tongue licking her own blood off of her, swallowing it, spitting it out, and making her nauseous. It had to stop! Please make it stop!

"Ugh…Ahhh…Ahhhh…Ahhhhh…ugh…"

"She cried…" He continued. "She cried and cried and when she realized that her life had absolutely no meaning whatsoever…she decided to kill herself."

She shook her head frantically; trying to move away from the blade that was pressing itself against her neck, but something so small couldn't slice through cleanly. "N-N-N-No!" She spoke finally. "I'm sorry! I'll be a good girl! I'll be good girl! I'll be good girl! I'll be good girl!"

"And the girl…" He said, sliding it in so that blood was being drawn.

"…**Woke up from her silly little dream."**

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" It was horrible, the slicing of her flesh as Vladimir slid the blade in and out, passing it through her neck like butter and yet he did it as slow as possible. The ground became wet not only with blood but with warm tears, spewing out of her face like a fountain onto the cold steel floor. The louder she screamed, the slower he went, forcing her to feel the absolute misery of having her own neck sliced open. "AHHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHH!" It hadn't even reached the halfway point of her neck and every time she felt she was going to black out, he changed the movements, keeping her from getting into the state of bliss she so desperately wished for. Her screams were growing louder, higher in pitch and yet nobody but Vladimir and herself could hear them. "AHHH! AH! AH! AH! AH! UGH!" Having finally hit her windpipe, she struggled for air, choking for it and the tears continue to stream down her face.

Only finishing halfway, Vladimir Cents pulled the blade out and put the rod back into his body, sliding it ever so gently down into his skin. He stood up, smiling at the tears in her eyes and bending low again, licking the salty water up from her red orbs and enjoying every last bit of it. Out of options and out of air, the poor girl died in agony, in misery and ultimately in suffering.

"The end…" The dark man whispered, opening the doors and closing it gently before going on his way.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another chapter finally finished. The longest and defintely the darkest one yet. Hope I didn't make too many stomach's ill with this one. Keep enjoying teh story becaue it's only about to get more intenese here on out.<p> 


	26. Sweet Warmth After A Long Day

**Chapter 26: Sweet Warmth After A Long Day**

"_Why are you treating me like this? Why do you keep pretending to be so arrogant? I know how you and the rest of your kind feel about me and my own. I know exactly how you all fear and despise me, that dreaded look in your eyes. Stop hiding behind a wall of conceit."_

"_At no point…have I ever believed that. You yourself believe to be hated and thus are hated. You expect to be hated and thus are hated. You want to be hated and thus you will be hated. It is up to you to decide what you want to be, Number Zero."_

"…_What are you talking about? Do you not look at me, and feel disgust with what you see?"_

"_In war, disgusting things are seen, far worse than those horns upon your head. I am growing old and feeble, my eyes have seen, my ears have heard, my nose has smelled my skin has touched. Everything has been a long drawn out war so I've seen it. You have every right to hate your existence but it's up to you decide how you will live that life. Will you stop and fall to the battle floor in shame? Or will you keep going and even if you are thrown to the floor in a heap, die with dignity?"_

"…_If I said I wanted you to remove these chains, would you do so?"_

"_I would not."_

"…_If I said that I expected you to remove these chains, would you do so?"_

"_I would not…"_

"…_If I demanded, that you looked me in the eye and removed these chains this instant."_

_"I would not..."  
><em>

"…_Then I will remove the chains myself and I will do what I wish regardless of what you or others may think. At this very moment I no longer serve you, I serve myself and my own beliefs."_

"…_Interesting."_

How long he had been there, starring at his own hand was a mystery even to himself but as if in a deep trance, Julius Javel found himself reminiscing on the not so long ago past. The night air was refreshing against his skin and thought barely a gleam of it could be seen, his red orbs partially glowed in the moonlight. It had been 6 years since he had, in the best of words, departed from his life 'in' the facility and began his life 'at' the facility. Just a single horned man, a genuine phenomenon that exceeded all bounds of what made Diclonius. He was as far as anybody knew, as far as he knew, the only male Diclonius in existence and amazingly enough he was also the very first one to be admitted to the facility though not necessarily the very first to exist.

Number 0, Julius Javel. Just a number, his very own name he gave himself after reading many books, something he had Garder to thank. That man, the first man to ever see him as something more than a Diclonius. Yes, if anything he looked at him as another human, just another human and more importantly, his views on life, to make one's own decision. As the second member of Vladimir's group, one might have wondered what would cause one of such intelligence to lower himself to the role of a killer. Had he not wished to abandon himself from that area? Had he not wished to get rid of that sickening tenacious feeling that once engulfed his entire mind, mindlessly slaughtering? Vladimir had stated that they all had a reason for killing and his reason was a bit different than most. It wasn't so much about killing to earn something than it was about keeping something.

Something important.

* * *

><p>Now that Vladimir was running his own business, the task of killing Elrya had become both easier and harder. Vladimir still expected them to attack and finish off the girl but he also expected her to win. It was the entire point of the operation "Pinpoint Lifeline" to completely and utterly crush her mind body and spirit. Like a battle in a war, to crush the opposition both physically and mentally. Something that The Incorrigible was quite apt at doing. The main problem lied in Vladimir himself because although he and Garder knew his emotions and tendencies, there was no way of perfectly knowing exactly what Vladimir was going to do. Therefore, the best plan was to actually stay as far away from Vladimir as possible and watch his movements from a distance.<p>

They knew that he had gone to Kakuzawa and thus had started something with him. They knew that Roy Synth was currently in lead with Elrya as well. The main objection that Garder had, other than finding and eliminating Elrya was keeping Kakuzawa occupied with the idea that he was still looking for Lucy. Too much trouble would occur if he released Number 35.

It seemed they all, had their own motivations and plans to go by.

"What does everyone have against me!" Elrya yelled, looking at Yin and Miriana as if expecting them to answer. "I didn't do anything wrong…" She began before silently thinking to herself. "…Besides…killing a few people…men…women…still this is messed up!"

"I'm sorry Elrya, you shouldn't have to go through any of this." Miriana said kindly.

"Damn right I don't!" Alya uttered in her thoughts as well. "Who does that woman think she is, trying to pick a fight with me of all people? I swear the moment I see her again, screw whatever Roy says, I'm taking her ass down."

"I wish everyone would stop breaking the laws of reality." Elrya thought back to her friend and self-conscience, looking up at the starry night sky. "Controlling bullets, random illusions, eating vectors! I thought we we're the only ones who could defy physics! Before I wouldn't hesitate to lop of the head of anybody who even looked at me the wrong way.

Now a days, I'm afraid somebody's going to turn my hands into the next week's barbecue.

And…"

"Hm?" Alya queried, sensing the intensity in Elrya's emotions.

"I…might have made a small promise to myself never to kill anybody again."

"…I'm sorry say again?" Alya asked, putting the metaphorical finger in her ear and twisting.

"I've gotten out of control a bit in some of the fights so I'm surprised I didn't end up breaking it. But I promised myself that as long as I could have my friends. As long as I could…even for a little bit, be with Yin and Miriana, then I promised myself I would never kill again! Even Yin doesn't think I have ever killed anybody! Do you know what he would even think if he found out!"

"But…all the things they did! All the torture that we went through! I'm sorry Elrya but that has to be the stupidest thing you've ever said in your life! What about Vladimir or Garder! What about all the pain they've caused you, does that not matter anymore? They want us dead and they won't stop until we are dead or until they're dead."

"I know…it's just that…" Elrya mumbled.

"Just what!" Alya yelled inside her head, having a mental battle with her very self. "They deserve it! They all deserve to die! They have to die! Even if we don't decide to kill them, they'll keep hunting us down and it's not just us either! Seriously, knowing that freak of nature Vlad he'll go and kill Yin and Miriana as well! You don't want that do you?"

No. She didn't have to give an answer to that and it wasn't that she minded killing either. She had done it before, very easily and mostly after just getting pissed off. But now, after listening to Miriana, after finding her emotionally attached to Yin, she no longer wanted to do kill. She knew that she had to, or in better sense, she knew that those hunting her down would, as Alya had said, never stop one side was dead.

"Alya…what should I do then?"

Why Elrya would even ask that was beyond Alya and yet, she couldn't help but think the same thing. They shared the same thoughts, the same feelings, they were one in the same. It was just their mindset that was different. Alya wanted to both kill for defense and kill for pleasure, her instinctive nature overriding her at points. Yet she also, in the deepest part of her heart, wanted to be with a family as well.

"I…I just don't. Hey Yin!" Alya yelled, surprising the man as he was still getting use to the two separate mindsets in one body. "Is that you…Alya?" He asked.

"Yeah, where are we heading anyways?"

"I've got some cash for a few nights at a hotel, since we can't go to my house." He said, having ironically just a few minutes after Roy and Bando had come, and seen that going into his house was rather easily said than done. He had also realized that the number for Bando was in there and there was no way he was going to risk causing a commotion in getting it. He wouldn't have been surprised if he was on some random wanted list now a day.

* * *

><p>It wasn't much, a small place though it wasn't exactly like they were going anything big. Getting late anyways, it wasn't as if they wanted to spend the night looking for two men whom could handle themselves anyways. Plus, without Roy, there was no way of even getting to the first facility so the best thing to do was to just rest. As each room only had two beds, Yin got one room for the two girls and one for himself. They weren't the most spacious, but they were well kept, something to be expected from such a small place. The wooden floor was polished clean, almost gleaming while the white walls were absolutely spotless. Since they had no idea how long that would be staying here, Miriana agreed to go to the store and pick of a few provisions, leaving Elrya Alya and Yin in the room as he relaxed in the chair, needing some rest from such a long and brutal day.<p>

"Is something wrong Elrya?"

"I'm Alya."

"Oh sorry." Yin said hastily. "I can never tell if it's you or Elrya unless you talk."

"What's the difference between us?" She asked, never able to really tell herself.

"Well…" Yin began, trying to think of the best way to explain it. "Elrya's voice is a bit softer and, not to be offensive or anything, a little kinder. Your voice is a little deeper but it also seems to have a lot of confidence in it."

Alya didn't answer, in fact she hardly seemed to be able to look at the man as her eyes were looking only at her feet.

"Oh, I'd like to ask, how are those scars?"

"Hm?" She queried.

"You had a lot of scars on your body when Elrya first came. Scars from the days at the facility, it was fairly bad."

Alya wondered how on earth he would've noticed those, as they were invisible with her clothes on but she decided for the most part to put that thought aside. "My body as you know, heals a lot faster than humans do. I don't have those scars anymore…though I'm not sure how'd you know about them." She said mostly as an afterthought but still loud enough for Yin to hear. He also decided just to ignore it either because it would basically mean he admitted to seeing her nude, which honestly he would never have tried anything anyways, it was just easier to ignore it. The room grew more and more silent and when it seemed like the girl was going to fall asleep, Yin got up from the chair and started to leave the room when Alya's voice once again broke the silence.

"Y-Yin…" She muttered, her instinctive nature battling with her before being overrun by her emotions.

"Yes?" He asked, looking over his shoulders and seeing that she was still looking at her own feet with her face red as a cherry. The Diclonius kicked her legs, and subconsciously touched her horns and secretly wondering why he wasn't disgusted with them. "Can you…hold me?"

"Oh…are you cold?" He asked leaving Alya to wonder if he was being generously truthful or just trying to hide his own emotions as well. "Y-Yeah…" She muttered, wrapping her arms tightly around her body as to make the point clear. "I'm…pretty cold right now."

Rather hesitantly, Yin sat down on the bed next to her and wrapped one of his arms around her, letting the young Diclonius rest her head against his shoulder, relishing in its warmth. Humans and Diclonius…could never hold a relationship right? All humans had to die right? So why was resting against this human so comfortable when in reality it should horrible. She knew that Elrya was smitten by Yin but could she herself, Alya, possibly be…"

"You know Yin…" Alya began while closing her eyes and breathing in, nearly falling asleep right there. "Elrya really likes you…She's told me herself. How you're one of the first people to ever be kind to her, how you took her in and nursed her back to health. That was…very kind of you.

Uh…thanks…I guess. Since I guess it means you also nursed me back to health as well.

Can…you kiss me."

The look on the black haired man's face might have been absolutely hilarious had Alya not been extremely serious in her statement. The young man nervously scratched the back of his head, smiling uncertainly and looking at everything but the girl in question. His entire decency cells were crushing him, telling him that she too young, too innocent and the other more childish and romantic part of him was telling him to do it right now as the girl in question was rather pretty.

"I'm not so sure…" Yin said, trying to put it into the most polite terms he could think of. "I mean…ummm, I'm 20…and your…what was it…15?"

"So?" Alya muttered, raising an eyebrow as if was making the most obvious statement of the century. "Elrya likes you…and I…sort of…maybe…just a tiny bit…" She muttered almost incomprehensibly, looking away, and feeling the bead of sweat run down her face. "Besides I mean…with us Diclonius it isn't like there's a lot of male pickings or anything."

"I understand, it's just..."

"Just nothing!" Alya yelled back, breathing in deeply and relaxing herself. "You have no idea…what it's like to be hated and hurt like we were. I like you Yin…and coming from me that means more than I think even you understand. I'd really like it…if you kissed me."

It was said that in times of emotional and mental conflict a devil and an angel would sit on one shoulders and coax them into doing the right and wrong thing. Yet for Yin Sandersas, he couldn't tell what was right or wrong. Legally doing so much as hugging the girl would probably get him thrown in jail much less doing what Alya was asking. Yet Alya had been through enough stuff that most soldiers hadn't even been through. But Elrya and Alya to that extent as well was very pretty, cute to in a sense and her bravery and conviction was almost astounding.

"Are you sure?" He asked, secretly talking as he kept musing the idea over in her head, something that didn't go past Alya at all. "Yes…now do stop trying to stall for time. I've heard it's easy, you just open your mouth a bit…" She whispered, inadvertently moving her head closer to his while her eyes closed. No longer able to keep his emotions inside and almost subconsciously was drawing closer and closer to her face.

"_Humans and Diclonius…can't ever hold a relationship right? But…maybe…I can look past that idea for just a moment."_

"Is there a reason you're still stalling?" She whispered in his face, her lips only inches from his own, able to feel each breath of air on her face. Then before either of them knew it, their lips were locked together, unmoving, just simply pressed together without movement. Breaking apart, Alya's blushed was highly adorable as she fidgeted uncontrollably and staring at him out of the corner of her eyes. "That was…nice." The young girl said softly, touching her own lips and thinking of how warm it had felt. "If it's not too much, can you…do it again?"

At this point, saying no just didn't seem like an option anymore. Yet he continued to stall as normal, letting his brain run wild as the metaphorical angel and death battled each other to a standstill. It had certainly felt nice, like tender sweet taste of cherries, although that might have just been his own mind going into overdrive and making stuff up. It would be a lie, to say that he would not like to feel that lovely taste again. Still, he kept telling himself to wait, not to push it and for love of it all she was five years younger than him. Didn't that make it illegal? Didn't that make it wrong? It hadn't felt wrong but logic and passion were in such a battle with him that he thought might lose it.

"Was it…not nice?" Alya asked, looking surprisingly like Elrya for a moment as her bottom lip trembled.

"It's not that…it was quite nice." Yin answered back, still remember that cherry taste. "You've got the taste of cherries."

She looked up at him with a tilt of her head breathed into her hand and sniffed. "I guess…" She thought, taking the compliment a little too seriously. Yet it was enough of a compliment to make her smile and blush even more than before. "Well then, Yin, just a little one on the cheek, for good luck?" She asked.

"_I wonder…if something's wrong with me. I wonder…if I'm not actually crazy. He's a human, just a plain ordinary human and I hate them…right? I hate them…and yet…I can't hate him. I am Alya…and I'm Elrya…we're both the same people just with…different thoughts. I don't want to just be instincts anymore I want…_

_I want…_

_**We want…to be with his man…forever."**_

"I'm back!" Miriana yelled in her overly cheery disposition, barging right in as Yin's lips pecked the girl's cheek whom in an instant pushed Yin away so suddenly he stumbled backwards and fell flat on his back. While Yin Sandersas groaned in pain, Alya randomly switching over to her other personality turned her head, pulled up the covers and uttered quickly.

"Sorry but I have to go to sleep thanks for the snacks Miriana you are good friend but I need to go to bed have a good night see you in the morning!" Before going into some loud and incredibly fake snores while trying to ignore the sweat dripping profusely from her reddened face.

"…Did I interrupt something?" Miriana asked innocently looking at Yin sprawled out on the ground and rubbing his aching back. "Ummm, no Miriana…everything's fine." He said, seeing no reason to go into details. "Thanks for bring the food also, I'll leave you two girls alone then, I'll wake you in the morning."

Trying to his hide own sweat beats, yin turned and walked out the door.

"Elrya? What were you and Yin doing?"

"Nothing!" The Diclonius replied quickly, waving her hand randomly in the air. "We were just ummm, talking that's all. Just a little chat between friends."

"But…I thought he was…"

"Just talking!" Elrya said, a little forcibly. "That's all we were doing, just a little bit of chatting while you were away."

"Oh…" The young girl uttered crestfallenly. "Strange I thought you two were kissing."

!

"Ah! Ugh! Wh-What gave you that idea! W-W-We were just talking, just chatting like I said. Silly Miriana sometimes I wonder where you get these ideas!" She responded with a fake enthusiastic laugh while scratching the back of her head. "Then what were you talking about?" Miriana asked.

"Ugh…cherries."

"Cherries?" The young girl asked quizzically. "Why would you talk about cherries?"

"Because they're…tasty."

"Oh, did you taste like cherries to him?" She asked, smiling so broadly and mischievously it was a wonder where such an innocent girl got it from. "N-N-No! We're talking about how…good the food tastes. It may surprise you but cherries are my favorite fruit in the whole world. I absolutely love cherries." She lied so pathetically that not only did Miriana not believe her, Elrya also knew that Miriana knew it was a lie in the first place.

"So you kissed him right?" She said, still smiling mischievously. Where in the world she got this demeanor was beyond the Diclonius but with no other options on her side, she decided to just give up. "Alright...we may have…slightly…just a little…tiny bit…kissed." Nearly jumping out of her bed from MIriana's child-like squeal, Elrya starred hopelessly as the young girl giggled happily. When it went on for a full 20 seconds, Elrya was beginning to get a little irked.

"D-Don't laugh! It's embarrassing enough." She muttered, looking away and hoping that Miriana couldn't see her already extremely red face. "It's just that…I really do like Yin…a lot. Both Alya and I do a lot."

"That's wonderful and see, telling the truth is easy. I'm going to get some water; do you want me to bring you some?"

"Sure." Elrya responded taking the glass from her hand and sipping it down.

"You know…" Miriana said in that strange playful little voice of hers. "It has a pretty nice ring to it."

"What does?" Elrya asked.

"Elrya Alya Sandersas."

!

Spewing out the water in comical fashion, Elrya spluttered and choked while her best friend laughed merrily.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: After a brief break, the next chapter is out and to get away from the blood spurting nightmare that was the end of chapter 25, I decided to go to the more lovely and romantic aspect of the chapter. Hope you all enjoy, do R&amp;R and I'll get the next chapter done ASAP<p> 


	27. Lunacy Ideals

**Chapter 27: Lunacy Ideals**

With the sun gone and the silver moon high above the sky, Orlana's coined eye gleamed in the dark world of the night. She chided herself for not asking Julius directly where he had sensed that signature but then again, even she knew he couldn't pinpoint it exactly. However, despite walking about an hour longer than she had liked, she had run into somebody, it just wasn't Elrya. The person she ran into just happened to be the next most important person on the list, Lucy. Lucy was a danger, as bad as Alya and more importantly, if she killed her it would put Kakuzawa into ruin. In short, killing her was the best of options, something that with her powers she could do quite easily, before the Queen even knew what hit her.

"Lucy." Orlana uttered, snapping the dark pink haired woman out of her stupor and sending a glare at her. It had been so good, living with Kouta and the others in her oblivious Nyu persona, and then those stupid soldiers had to come in and ruin in. She also knew that Garder had her tracked, though she didn't know that as her Nyu persona, the tracking signature was nulled. The smartest thing she could ever do right now, was just bop her head on the wall though of course only an idiot would ever think of doing that. The only thing she to be glad for was the fact that nobody was home at the time, it was just her, doing whatever it was she did in that ditzy little persona of hers and then the first shot rang out. The bullet had never been so closed to her head, but in the end, humans would still be humans, easily taken apart and easily smeared across the walls.

"What do you want? Who the hell are you?" She uttered, in a bad mood as always and just knowing the woman in front of her was somebody she could never get along with, like most humans after all.

"You've got some work for me to do."

"Ha! You must be dense lady!"

"Garder was right…you are quite obnoxious."

Tensing up instantly, Lucy lost her sadistic look once Garder's name was mentioned, remembering him all too well. "Is that bastard…still there? That girl is dead! She had her entire body crushed, arms broken and many cuts! She probably bled to death in the first five minutes."

"She didn't…" Orlana replied strictly. "She survived and not only that has healed up. Which is why that unless you want me to kill you…I will need your help in finding her. For some reason we think her signature might be getting thrown off."

"Hm?" Lucy mumbled, both uncaring and yet deep down a little intrigued as well. "I don't get it."

"Hmmm, stay there."

"And what if I don't feel like it?" Lucy answered back darkly, smiling one of her wicked smirks that she always wore before proceeding to hack away at her opponent's screaming face.

"Then I will cut your throat open and let you bleed on the floor and let the night time wolves eat your dying carcass." Orlana growled, the silver gleam in her eye radiating outwards so that it made her look even more vicious. "Besides…I've actually had a small change of plans. I'm going to send you with somebody else." The Clock Stopper took out her radio, and gave Julius a quick call, telling him to come over. Until he came, everything was silence, Lucy feeling confident but deciding not to do anything merely crossed her arms, looking smug and waited for whoever this newcomer was to arrive. Of course she was quite surprised when she felt a familiar pinch in her brain and saw to see a man in a dark brown hat, his red eyes gleaming .

"Orlana Zeruda…and Lucy." He said, looking at both of them for a long time. "I guess I wasn't too off then."

"Who are you?" Lucy asked, looking startled.

"My name is Julius Javel…" The male Diclonius said, removing his hat so that even in the dark Lucy could easily see his thick pink hair and pointed horns. Needless to say, Lucy was absolutely flabbergasted. "You are…one of my species?"

"In a sense yes, I am one of your species. I am also one of Orlana's species as well."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"It's simple. Biologically I am a Diclonius, though I like to think of myself as a human. The only thing that a human requires is a will and decision. In most cases being a Diclonius has too many problems for granted. We are deranged killers who listen to strange voices in our heads. We are mistreated, beaten and ultimately killed. Most importantly, we also have a tendency to be quite arrogant and I really don't like that. Don't think of me as a Diclonius, think of me as a human."

"A human…Diclonius? What kind of crap are you people pulling on me!" She yelled at them both and breathing heavily. "I guess you brained washed this poor guy into serving you!"

"I can assure you I am under no servitude Lucy. Orlana sure you did not call me just for this little chat."

"No." The woman answered plainly. "I was actually hoping Lucy could stay with you, as a...well Diclonius at any case, I believe Lucy will be a lot more cooperative with you. Not to mention that with Lucy in our possession, we now have Kakuzawa at the ends of the rope."

"True." The Diclonius said emotionlessly, seeing the woman's point instantly. "I'll bring her to Garder's facility."

"Hell no!" Lucy roared, not exactly sure where this conversation was leading but the moment he had even mentioned of sending her to any form of the facility, she had to put her foot down. "I'm sick of you people trying to ruin my life. Why don't you just leave me alone!"

"Perhaps we would have. However even you have some debts to pay yourself." Julius said, tilting his head over in her direction. "We know your past Lucy, all the tortures you went through, all the pain, of losing your first friend. We understand and acknowledge the fact that Kurama could not save that little girl Maki. You certainly have the right to be angry. However tell that to the countless innocent lives you have slaughtered. Do you think that gives you the right not to get judgment? You are truly arrogant, Queen of the Diclonius."

"Don't put yourself conceit on me! I won't be coming with you at all. So why don't you both just shut up and walk away before I decide to kill you myself!" Lucy was angry, and this time she wasn't going to be beaten. Even if was a Diclonius, she was still the Queen, with the most powerful vectors ever.

"Julius, I'm going to keep working, I'll leave it to you."

"Aye Orlana…take care."

* * *

><p>Having seen some of the craziest things in the world form humans no loess, Lucy decided to keep her guard up against a Diclonius, although she should've done it regardless of whether or not he had horns. She was partially surprised that the man didn't even bring out his vectors and wondered if being a male, there was something wrong about him and he just couldn't. "You know, you should at least put up your defenses?" She said after Julius did nothing more than just stand there and look taciturnly at her, as if she was another pebble on the ground.<p>

"I am, I'm watching my distance and keeping a close eye on your vectors. After all seeing them is one of the perks of being biologically a Diclonius. "You should just calm down, it'll keep you alive much longer than blindly attacking me of all people."

"Aren't you being arrogant?" Lucy uttered coldly while the wind kicked around her.

"No, I am keeping an eye on you, watching your movements and seeing what you are doing. I am not underestimating you at all Lucy. Although I guess it wouldn't be a lie to say that I do feel confident in beating you."

"Really? Take your best shot." The Queen growled, just urging him to make the first move. He did alright, he made the first move and when he did, Lucy would once again have to start cursing loudly and hating not only humans but her own kind as well. She had expected him to pull out his vectors, she knew he was going to pull them out. She had expected hands to rush at her and attempt to rip her apart without hesitation. What she had not expected was him to pull from his vest a gun, something that seemed so natural and hardly even threatening and yet the first shot was fired and not only where her arms unable to deflect it, the bullet attached to a thin line from the gun blew through her shoulders and then opened up, acting like an anchor against her skin.

"GUH! Wh-What is this!" She yelled loudly before Julius in the most casual of manners, cut the wire from the gun, held it and gave it a single twitch of his right index finger. Right before it hit her, Lucy could see the golden current running through the wire before her entire body was hit from head to toe with ungodly feeling of electrocution. The fight hadn't even lasted 10 seconds and once again she was on the ground, shaking and spitting up froth and absolutely hating everything in her life right now. Julius on his part merely tapped the wire again, allowing the anchor to revert back into its normal bullet form which he pulled roughly from Lucy's body and put it back into his gun.

* * *

><p>"You…bastard…" She whispered angrily.<p>

"I am an expert in dealing with Diclonius and not because I am biologically one myself. Dealing with someone like you, who irrationally attacks without reason, is quite easy to do."

"Oh just shut up." Lucy hissed, grinding her teeth in pain.

*TAK* *TAK* *TAK*

"Wonderful work Zero Point!" Vladimir exclaimed, walking over and clapping happily. "You managed to get Lucy all done and on the ground before I even got here. You are truly the Second Cent. Hey Lucy, how you doing?"

"I remember you." She said darkly, eyeing the crazed man with demonic red eyes.

"Oh you do? That's so nice, oh I brought you something." He said, casually tossing what remained of her long since dead dog at her feet. Its right leg was completely gone, it's skin rotted and filled with maggots and the stench of decay almost overwhelming. Lucy felt sickened both by it and all the horrible memories that it served. She could still see the hole where Vladimir had stuck his rod into it and then stuck it in the wall of the university.

"Why are you even showing me this? What point does it have?"

"What point?" Vladimir queried at Lucy's question. "I have only one point in my entire life, which is to create absolute suffering. That dog holds a lot of memories for you, memories of death and betrayal. Whenever you see that dog, you get emotional and sad. Because it doesn't just end at the dog, it goes even further than that! All the people you killed! All the suffering you feel it is wonderful! I love it!" He roared, raising his arms to his side and chuckling insanely.

"What are you here for Vladimir?" Julius asked tensely.

"Oh? I'm actually here to bring Lucy back to Kakuzawa."

The intensity just got worst.

"You know I can't let you do that." Julius replied coldly, not surprised by Vlad's antics . "Lucy needs to be brought back to Garder and to keep Kakuzawa at bay."

"Ohhh…but Julius if I don't bring Lucy to him the poor old man might have a heart attack. Besides if I bring her and he fathers some Diclonius, a world of Diclonius can be made to suffer my ways. Then again…a world of Diclonius does seem kind of pointless…I mean there's so many good people in the world to screw around with. Maybe if we split her in half, give one part to Garder and another to Kakuzawa. Oh yeah she'll die if we do that…nearly forgot. "

It was Vladimir alright, making no sense and seeming to be a double or even triple agent in the works. He didn't have to make sense though, because in the end the only thing he cared about was making others suffer even if it included his own subordinates. Julius knew that if Vladimir wanted, he could take Lucy back himself to Kakuzawa and yet the man just found so much enjoyment in messing with everyone's head. He didn't care who won, he didn't care who died, he didn't care about anything other than dragging the heinous suffering down to the last wee bit. He was a monster in every form and way, without even the slightest inkling of a kind soul in his dark heart.

"Lucy…" He whispered…how much do you love that boy?"

!

"Do you love him a lot? That boy…whose sister you killed…and father you murdered?"

"Guh! Kuh! Bastard!"

"Such a nice lad…" Vladimir continued, reaching inside the onyx coat that lay over his one arm. "Such a nice lad, who once loved his sister and father so much. Ah I remember…his little head that I sliced off."

"YOU DIDN'T!" Lucy screamed as he pulled his hand out and opened it up, there was nothing, just and open palm and gleeful little smile on his face. "Just kidding!" He said jovially while Lucy trying to get over a heart attack just starred with so much hatred at him that she was surprised that he didn't flinch back.

"I have an idea…" he whispered to himself, bringing out the cell phone to call Kakuzawa. I think it's time this little story of ours hits its first climax so go ahead Julius, take Lucy away to Garder. I'll give the old man a call." As he did so, Julius couldn't help but just know that something bad was going to happen.

"HELP ME KAKUZAWA!" Vladimir suddenly roared with fake fear and tension. "HELP ME! LUCY RIPPED IT OFF! SHE RIPPED MY GODDAMN ARM OFF! OH GOD! HELP ME! HELP ME! PLEASE! NO LUCY! PLEASE! HAVE MERCY! GAH!"

And then hung up so simplistically that Lucy just stared at him without word.

"I failed…I could not capture Lucy and she ripped off my arm and killed me. Quite brutal eh Lucy? Now that Kakuzawa has used his pawns, I wonder if he'll revert to using her."

"So that's your plan huh?" Julius inquired

"Indeed…I mean after all…

Quite a bit of fun should come from Kurama's daughter."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: I'd be lying if i said I don't enjoy beating Lucy around a bit, just because she really is an arrogant little prick in the mnaga and so it's nice when she gets her ass handed to her on a silver plate. Other than that, things might just a get bit worse, because like Vladimir said, with no other options Kakuzawa may be forced to use the most powerful Diclonius ever, which that can't lead to anything good. What will happen next time on Pinpoint Lifeline? Also, please do give a review, criticize if you must but its always good to hear the reader's opinion. It also gives me the motivation to keep on writing.<p>

On another note, you'll notice that I referred to Lucy's friend as "Maki" for some reason (and I've done the same thing before) everyone refers to the girl as Aiko Takada, which the name itself has never once appeared in either the manga or the anime. Not to my knowledge it hasn't. However the name Maki has appeared in the manga and thus I have used that instead.


	28. Hidden Horn Secrecy

**Chapter 28: Hidden Horn Secrecy**

Kakuzawa arrogant, proud and now ultimately frustrated sat at his desk in the middle of the night, the only man still at his facility. They had all failed and it wasn't that he was surprised either really; after all mere humans could not do anything to stop the Queen. He had known this from the very start but besides Number 35, none of the other Diclonius had a chance of bringing her back either as he had learned when sending the useless Sipilet Number 7. Truthfully he had sent those weaker beings in the hope of luck, because although Number 35 could certainly capture Lucy, she was incredibly uncooperative. No more though, he could no longer stand by and let Lucy dance around out of his reach, she belonged to him in both mind body and soul.

It would also mean that he would soon go into master plan; the missiles were already set, filled with culture fluid of the vector virus. He had it all planned out, sent the missile over the bay where it would detonate, spreading the virus across Tokyo and eventually the world. One year Anna had predicted, just one whole year and humanity would quietly and fully die out. Still it wouldn't hurt to have some additional back up at the silos.

* * *

><p>"Vladimir, if you don't mind me asking, other than causing a whole mess of suffering what exactly is the point of all this? You seemed to be doing everything on a random whim." Julius said making Vladimir chuckle.<p>

"Well as you pointed out this is all to make everyone suffer and it's also keep in touch with Elrya Alya. That girl interests me a lot and I want to give her the ultimate suffering that has ever given. Oh don't worry, I lie a lot but I can promise that if you do kill her, you will get your payment Orlana so don't worry about that. I knew Kakuzawa would waste his time sending in rookies after Lucy and thus would give more time for my members and Garder to prepare themselves. In short it was merely a bid for time but now, my interest in Number 35 has perked a bit.

For me, this is the greatest story in the world. Three factions, Garder, Kakuzawa and Elrya all linked together in some form or way. In fact I almost wish to tell Kakuzawa the little secret."

"That I can't allow you to do Vladimir." Julius said seriously.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! I'm just kidding Zero Point, sheesh! I swear you people take things so seriously now a days. I mean come on buddy, doesn't it sound interesting?"

"No, you will not." Julius Javel, who was mostly calm and collect, made it painfully obvious that whatever Vladimir was talking about would not happen under his watch. "Oh Julius…such a party crasher, fine then! I won't say anything only because you are the Second Cent and I deserve to give you at least a small say in the matter. Oh Clock Stopper, how was Roy?"

"He and the soldier Bando escaped before I could kill them but they should be weakened also." The woman replied steadily.

"Nice, just what I'd expect from Roy Synth, The Sniper. I guess the same for that soldier as well. Even after having his arm torn off, the other broken and his eyes gouged out, he still continues to go forward. Hear that Lucy? You might run into an old friend someday soon."

Lucy, still suffering under the electrical current only glowered at the insane man and wondering why her life decided to be so crappy. How she had gotten into this mess was beyond her and worst of all, it seemed that everybody, even her own kind was out to get her. Did that put her into some other separate list as well? Was there humans, Diclonius and then just randomly her sprawled out on the list of 'things you'd rather no touch?' She was getting sick of it, down to the last core and it wasn't just her, even that voice inside of her head was slowly beginning to take form again. Yet she also knew that as long as they knew about Kouta, she was practically forced into servitude although if that bastard had indeed done something to the only person she cared about, there wouldn't have been enough cleaning supplies to clean up the blood splatters.

Perhaps in the smallest of senses she wanted to go back to the facility because of all the pain she caused that boy after all. Wasn't it for the best, for a murderess like her just to be locked up like all killers away from the innocent lives? Yet, she hadn't escaped the first time just be sent back…she wanted to desperately…with all of her heart…to apologize directly.

"Julius, I've got a little task for you." Vladimir said, slightly more serious as if to say that this was one of the very few times you could tell he wasn't lying or trying to pull some crazy stunt. "Once you return back to Garder's facility, I want you to have Vorono go on a search for Roy and Bando have him eliminate them."

"Certainly, anything else Vladimir?" The Zero Point asked, starring aloofly at his crazed leader which left Lucy rather dumbfounded that he could keep that same expression even after knowing his so called leader was almost completely mad. "I don't want too many people getting in the way after all when I meet the girl."

"Why do you want me to hunt her down anyways?" Orlana asked strictly, the silver coined eye gleaming brightly. "If you wish to kill Elrya personally why are you sending me after her?"

"It's quite simple, I want to bring her the greatest suffering of all. Pinpoint Lifeline, the operation that forced an entire battalion into submission. Beaten, dragged down and destroyed to the very last fiber. I want to have every last bit of her hope smashed until there's only the tiniest fragment left and then…I want to obliterate it completely! However just killing her isn't going to be fun or amusing I want to see if she can get far enough. In truth I hope she can actually beat you because it'll mean that she'll truly be closer to being my true rival. Although I don't want you to go easy on her, I want you to do your best. That's all."

"You are absolutely mad!" Lucy hissed, getting sick of hearing all that nonsense.

"Mad?" Vladimir questioned simply, raising an eyebrow. "Funny enough that a woman who talks to herself and listens to random voices in her head is calling me of all people mad. What are you then Lucy?"

"Grrr! Why kind of question is that!" She spat back at him.

"It's a simple question Queen., what are you then? You call me mad and yet you are even more mad then I am. Here's a question, why do I want everything to suffer? Is it because of some horrible past I went through? Is it because I have some deep hatred for everyone like you do? Why do I want to screw around and lie to people, killing them slowly and telling them little bedtime stories? Is it because was abused as a child?

The answer is no.

I am…completely and fully incorrigible. Everything that I do is because I want to do it. I kill and slaughter and torture because for me, it is fun. I hurt and mutilate myself because I enjoy it. There are some people out there Queen, some cursed demons, whose only point in life is to create and deliver pain and horror to everyone around them. There are some people out there, a very rare case, who are quite intelligent but they can only satiate their wants through the slaughter of other's faiths.

That's the kind of a person I am.

Perhaps after you awoke from that silly dream of yours, you'd understand it as well."

* * *

><p>"So how was it?" Elrya asked Alya silently in her head as Miriana dozed peacefully on the other bed.<p>

"What do you mean how was it? You felt it too right?" Alya replied sarcastically and blushing internally.

"I know but you were in control at the time and it's not the same really."

"The word 'cherries' comes to mind a lot." Alya said with a mischievous little smirk. "I was wrong to think that all humans were the same."

"Yeah…so cherries huh?"

"Yeah, I'm sure you'd taste like lemons."

"HUH!" Elrya yelled aloud nearly waking up Miriana who turned away and fell right back to sleep immediately afterwards. "Why would I taste like lemons, we're the same person! Besides you're the sour one." She chided with false anger leaving Alya to laugh mentally inside of her head. "Stop laughing…it has to be making you embarrassed as well!" Elrya retorted back.

"A little maybe. I guess right now there's not much we can do until Roy and Bando find us. We should probably go look for those two jerks in the morning."

"Sounds good Alya, see you in the morning then."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Slightly shorter chapter than usual, I like to spread them out sometimes. Lucy isn't getting a break and now Kakuzawa is planning on unleashing Kurama Mariko to find Lucy. No matter how you look at it, a confrontation seems to be likely. More importantly, what is this secret of Elrya Alya? Answers to come in later chapters on Pinpoint Lifeline.<p>

R&R


	29. In Doubts Of Our Future

**Chapter 29: In Doubts Of Our Future**

"You seem awfully happy today Miriana." Yin said casually as he and the two other girls strolled through the walkway, a gentle breeze blowing their hair around. Partially to look for Roy and Boy and partially just to get out and move around, Yin had noticed quite soon that Miriana seemed a little more cheerful even for her. After asking the question, her already broad smile widened as she looked at him and then at Elrya whom for the most tried to ignore it with an embarrassed blush.

"She knows." The Diclonius finally said, going even redder in the face than normal.

"Knows what?" Yin asked while raisin an eyebrow.

"About us..and…you know…" She muttered, not disliking it but she never thought it would become public this soon.

"You mean…OH!" He gasped, and instantly put his hands together behind his back, straightened himself up and tried to put himself into the most adult form he could manage. "Alright listen Miriana, I know that this might come as a surprise. Now I want you to know that in these situations it's uh, often good to keep a keen eye on those that you care about."

Ignoring the fact that she didn't understand a word he just said, Miriana continued to smile that happy go lucky grin of hers. "That's nice Yin, so it might be a bit early, I understand that, but tell me, when are you two are going to get married?" She asked so simplistically it was like having a conversation about the weather. Needless to say, Yin spluttered and choked on his own breath, if such a thing was possible, collapsed on the floor and struggled to regain his lost composure. Elrya, surprisingly enough, managed to hold herself a little more calmly but one might have thought she was having a massive fever with her face so red and sweating like crazy. "Ah! Ah! N-Now wait just a minute Miriana! Don't you think it's a little too early to be thinking about something like that?"

"No. I think it's a nice." The scarred girl said simply. "Besides Elrya's 15 right? The legal age of consent for marriage is 16 in Japan. Elrya when is your birthday?" She asked looking at the girl who fidgeted her fingers slightly and muttered. "It's…today." The other two looked at her for a few seconds before Miriana, as her usual self would do, squealed joyfully while hugging Elrya with all of her might. "That's amazing! Why didn't you tell us it was your birthday!"

"Uh…birthdays haven't exactly been that fun for me ever since I was taken to the facility. Honestly it really wasn't that big of a deal for me, it's just another day." She replied, trying to save if off as just that, another regular day for Elrya Alya, the random Diclonius who's been talking to herself for 10 years and now went from 15 years to 16 years old. Miriana wasn't having any of that however and the ecstatic girl took Elrya's hand, shaking her hand rapidly and grinning from ear to ear.

"We can't have that at all! Oh this is terrible all this trouble that you've been through you deserve to have at least one happy birthday. Oh my god!" She suddenly cried out, realizing something that must've been so amazing because the excited girl was suddenly dancing on her feet, looking at the two of them with the brightest of gleams in her eyes. "You two love each other right! Right! Oh this is amazing for both of you!"

"I don't like where this conversation is going." Elrya said quickly while Yin seemed to be making some sort of half attempt to exit.

"Now you two can get married!"

"Eh..uh…M-Miriana…the thing about that is…she needs…kind of parental consent anyways." Yin said quickly, looking rather apologetically at both of them. Elrya's mood soured greatly as she turned around, unable to look at them.

"Parents? Both of my parents are dead. Really the only person who's ever had the consent on my life was Garder and like hell I'm asking him for anything."

"Hmmm, I got it! Maybe you could ask Roy to adopt you!"

"GAH! AH! AH! EXCUSE ME!" The Diclonius shrieked as if she hadn't heard, much less comprehended what her friend had just said. "it's not like I completely dislike the guy, but he kind of shot me before."

"Well I mean I would suggest Yin but I think it would be kind of awkward to be married to your adopted father."

"Yes it would Miriana and so we're going to get away from that topic right now." Yin spoke quickly, wondering how on earth this kind of conversation came to be.

"How about Bando?"

"Are you insane? He'd freaking murder me!" Elrya cried out.

"Oh this is such a terrible predicament." Miriana whined, trying to think of any solutions. "Are you sure Bando wouldn't mind adopting you?"

"_Hey Bando, you want to be my dad?"_

"…_You want me to shoot you don't you, ya horned freak?"_

"Yeah I'm pretty sure." Elrya said after a moment of thought.

"Hmm…I think I've got it! Alright so Elrya's at the age where she can't get married and I know you two would be a great couple." She answered beaming. "However at only 16 years old she'd need parental consent! But what if…you and Yin had a baby!"

"GAH! AH! OH SNAP LOOK AT THE TIME!" Yin yelled loudly, looking at his wrist closely where not a watch could be found. "Oh dear me, it'll start getting late in about 8 hours from now, we should seriously get off this topic right now before I get in trouble and start looking for Roy and Bando."

"I agree Yin!" Elrya yelled with equal blush, staring up at the sky. "Wow it's such a nice day outside. The sun is shining, oh boy what a day."

"Eh? You don't want children?" Miriana asked kindly.

"Ehhh…it's not so much about wanting to have kids…more of the fact that I can't have them. I'm a Sipilet remember Miriana? The only one of my kind who can reproduce is the Queen Lucy, whom why we're on that subject is a royal bitch." She said, just feeling that random vive of hate for the woman. "So even if that was a good idea, which it is not…!" She added quickly , raising her finger. "I couldn't have one even if I wanted to."

"Awwww." The young girl cried out, seemingly on the verge of tears almost. "I will think of way!"

"She's determined." Alya moaned, Elrya nodding in agreement. Children, even now such a thought while unique never really occurred to her. She was young after all, and most of her time had been spent thinking about how much she hated everything in life. It was definitely something that didn't cross her mind very often. Yet, and even she tried to push such thoughts aside, perhaps deep down, in that random maternal instinct that resided in all girls, having a baby…might not be such a bad idea.

* * *

><p>While conversations issued from far away, Roy and Bando were making business of their own. The two sat against the edge of the brick walls, hidden amongst the alley ways. Their wounds, while keeping them from operating at their full potential, had been cured enough to keep them from suffering any sort of fatal injuries. While looking for the three people, though Bando seemed keener on getting out looking for Lucy, Roy had stumbled upon something very important. Walking by, talking to another person, they probably never would've guessed that someone would know what they were talking about in the first place.<p>

"_I can't believe that crazy director, sending in #35 to look for Lucy…"_

"Crap…" Roy hissed angrily, clenching the metaphorical fists as the soldier glared at him in question. "#35 is Kurama's daughter and the strongest Diclonius that Kakuzawa possesses. In reality she's strong but she's not unbeatable, however she's still dangerous enough to be a threat. It also means that the old bastard has finally decided to stop screwing around. The other three will have to wait, I want to talk to Kurama about this."

"Whatever." Bando grumbled.

* * *

><p>Her hair fluttering in the wind, what soul could possibly think that little girl sitting almost timidly in the wheelchair? Isobe and Shirawaka by her side, looking nervous and hoping the girl, whom in an instant could slaughter them for the sole reason that it was just possible, didn't believe that everyone had to die anyways. Her caretaker had already met a grisly end, slashed in half and thrown through a window, only managing to detonate the bomb in her arm in the nick of time. This small, innocent looking girl…a dangerous amalgamation of child's nightmare.<p>

"Do you sense Lucy?" Shirakawa asked.

"It's not Lucy. It's someone else." The small girl replied with a childish grin on her face. "I can kill that one right?" She asked gleefully while Nana, with an incredulous look upon her face, starred at what she could only assume to be a little girl. It didn't take long, for her to realize just how childish that girl really was.

* * *

><p>The word of Mariko's release spread quickly throughout the facilities, most of them just keeping a distance and making their own adjustments as needed. The only one who actually paid any concern was Garder who sat at his desk, reading the computer screen through his black slit eyes. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened and it was time, as much as he wanted to wait, to take action. "Julius, keep a watch on Lucy, I'm putting you in charge of the facility here."<p>

"Aye sir, I'll keep watch. What do you plan on doing though?"

"The last thing we need is to have somebody like Mariko getting out of hand. It's bad enough that we barely know what Vladimir is up to now a days, I don't need more problems than necessary and I know that most people are too foolish to deal with this themselves. I'm going to kill Kurama Mariko." He said deadly serious, a cold glare shining upon his glasses for a moment before he took them off and placed them in his pockets. A cold, almost vicious gaze could be seen on his face, almost a shadow under his eyes as it became clear that no longer was there time to wait. He would kill her, end it now and end her threat as well, because there were too many threats in the world. There were just too many threats like Lucy, Mariko and Alya…dangerous, inconceivable threats.

"_Will you promise me something Garder?"_

"Is something wrong Garder?" Julius queried as the old man stopped suddenly, looking up at the ceiling.

"No. Nothing is wrong…I'm off."

* * *

><p>It had become a warzone, the factions spread out almost randomly, each with their own desires. Woe betides the foolish that get in their ways, a world of fury, revenge and insanity. Gods stand behind; looking at their work, grinning widely as they know that victory is assured. Generals go out to the field, preparing to end even the life of children no older than 5 years old. Madmen, seeking a fulfillment of absolute suffering stand upon the ruins of their own delightful mess. Innocents who want to make a better world, who wants to prove that there is good in it. Soldiers line up, prepare their bullets and head off to shoot, to kill and to die. A warzone in a small city called Kamakura.<p>

And in that city…

One single girl…Elrya Alya.

"Looks like something's going on?" Yin said simply, seeing a blockade in the road and shrugging his shoulders indifferently. Roadwork was always happening, so it wasn't something he paid much concern to anyways. Elrya starred for a moment at it, the operation having left her unable to sense the powerful presence of another one of her species, before calmly walking away with Miriana and Yin. None of them had a clue that Nana and Mariko were currently fighting, nor that Garder was along the way. Yet even that seemed to pale in comparison with the secret that Kakuzawa had in store. A few miles away, Orlana as well as a rather unpleasant partner were stationed there, although both had a completely different reason for it.

* * *

><p>The man had no name, no address, no point of origin, no compassion. A sick freak who wore a thick black hat upon his head, his dark hair falling over his face. The kind of sick freak that only came from hell, a perverted man not beyond raping even the smallest of children. He was there, holding his strange shaped weapon of a crossbow and leering at Orlana with a hungry look in his eyes as the woman had donned her usual two piece outfit. He was there for the sole purpose of keeping watch on the missile silo so that nothing would happen when Kakuzawa released it, having it detonate above the city and spread the glorious vector virus throughout the world. His partner, or rather as he saw it, his next possible sexual satisfaction, apparently had been sent by one of the other facility members to help him out. Well that was what Orlana had told him and for him, what lies could a little woman like her tell?<p>

"You know…" he hissed, licking his lips obscenely. "After this is over, you and I should…get a room and…you know. Hm?"

As with Vladimir, it was best just to ignore such talk and concentrate on the business at hand. The only reason she hadn't killed him herself was the mere fact that, even a complete monster like him could be useful, especially if Elrya came. Would it happen? Perhaps not, almost unlikely really, but it was possible. Yet if she didn't come, she would merely wait until the missile was going to be launched and stop it herself. The only person who nobody seemed to know what they were up to was Vladimir Cents, who taken the entire thing far more seriously than any of them would've wanted. Yet it was his nature after all, just a monster in a monster's body.

"I'm wondering…if you've ever been touched by a real man."

She had to again, repress the urge to stab his heart. "I have decided that sex is not for me. You may not understand it, but there are those of us who rather appreciate virginity."

"Oh…a virgin eh." He uttered hungrily to the point where one could almost see the crotch of his pants rising a bit. "You must be so delectable." Whispering, he came up to her, and in the most disgusting manner available began sliding his hot tongue all up against her ear. She didn't shudder, she didn't shake, she hardly seemed to care with the way she looked on without worry. Yet deep down, she had to repress, that absolute urge to kill this sick bastard. But she kept calm, much as she was trained to be, even when the freak began groping her like some sort of animal. "Ah I bet you taste so…"

*SLICE*

"GYA!" And the patience was quickly diverted when, with but a single stroke, she struck her blade into his palm and twisted, leaving him mortified and hideously angry. "Y-You little bitch! How dare you!"

"Touch me again…and I'll slice off your manhood." She muttered coldly, said object of the man's body almost shrinking back in fear. "We are here to keep the missile ready for its release. So quietly wait, and the next time you pull some stunt like that on me, I will make sure this blade goes straight through your heart." Before pulling it out quickly and sheathing it.

"Ugh…Urggh…Kah…" The unknown man groaned, wondering how this had happened.

"There's a select code on the missile that will keep it from launching." She thought, looking at the massive weapon that was stationed behind them. "Code 3 1 5 1 2 9 8, that'll stop it from launching. However it won't work unless the operation starts and it begins to run. This might prove difficult if I actually get into a fight and it begins to launch."

* * *

><p>"Yo Kurama…have you heard what's going on?" Roy asked, stepping into the hidden hospital as the other staff members gave them a fleeting look before going on with their business. "I have…the director is using my daughter." He said, knowing the sick nature of his boss and knowing that this was revenge for letting Number 7 go. He'd have done a lot worse if he knew that he was working in this place, helping out the Diclonius. "Excuse me…" He replied quickly, picking up his ringing phone and answering it. "Shirakawa is that true? You have to be kidding me!" He yelled, the tension growing even deeper.<p>

"What's up?" Roy asked.

"Shirakawa just told me of the Director's plan to use a vector virus incased missile."

"The hell?" Roy yelled out shocked.

* * *

><p>"He's going to launch it and then have detonate over the city, spreading the virus. Damn, I have to stop my daughter at all cost. Please you have to go to the silo and stop it right now."<p>

"Of course, damn idiots trying to screw up the world. Like hell I'll let this world be overrun by those horned freaks." Bando barked, Roy nodding in agreement. "Good luck Kurama, it's about to get hectic and I can't promise there won't be any casualties.

"Will you two be alright?" Kurama queried.

"We're both injured, but not beyond fighting." Roy replied back simply. "However…" He thought seriously. "There's a good chance we'll run into some serious problems and I don't even know how we'll get out of it. Oh well…that's how it goes I guess.

That's…just how it goes I guess."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Finally got the next chapter done. A little bit of a wait but nothing big. Been busy with some other stuff so there are times when i can't post a chapter a day. The climax for the second arc of Pinpoint Lifeline's is ready, the people are set and the great battle is about to begin. What will come out of this battle? Who will ultimately be victorious? Stay tuned for the next chapter of "Pinpoint Lifeline."<p>

R&R


	30. Desires

**Chapter 30: Desires**

"So tell me exactly what the hell is going on here!" Bando roared, running beside a very anxious Roy. "They're going to release a fucking what again?"

"Vector Virus. The megalomaniac Kakuzawa wants to spread the entire damn virus across the city, where it'll spread quickly. People won't even notice either, it'll just be the same as every day and slowly the Diclonius will start being born. If such a missile were to explode and virus spread, it would take probably less than a year for the human population to die out!"

"You've got to be shittin' me!" Bando roared. "Stupid horned freaks causing problems for everyone!"

"No time to talk! Kurama gave me the location, let's go and…"

*BAM!*

The fist slammed into his face with the force of a brick, threatening to knock him out cold. Roy slid across the ground one, took balance and kicked himself back up right, stepping back a few meters. "V-Vorono!" He yelled, seeing his team member and cursing their already horrible luck. "Hello Roy…and Bando."

"I'm guessing you're here to stop us?" Roy asked, knowing the answer well before Vorono gave it. "Of course, I've been sent to eliminate you." He said calmly and strictly, his large figure casting a shadow over Roy's much smaller form. "I assumed so, can't get a damn lucky break at all!" The Sniper yelled back, taking his stance and letting his bullets hover into the air. "Come on Vorono work with me mate! We've got a much bigger problem at hand right now? You…Orlana, the rest of you, enough of this bull crap excuse! Kakuzawa's going to screw us all if we don't stop him!"

"Roy…even you should know that I can't do that. If I don't do this…what else can I do? We're killers; we've given up our rights as people because of it. I take no glory in killing any of you, but if I don't…how else can I earn my own reward?"

"Reward? I lost my own reward long ago and I can never get it back. The worse part of it, not only did I not get my reward, I lost something else. I lost something that I can never attain again, both personally and emotionally. What is your possible reward in this!" Roy yelled back as Bando got his gun out, preparing for any sort of crazy shit that would pop out from this guy now. After facing some of the most bizarre opponents yet, the soldier has well learned to stop judging books by the cover. Much to his and Roy's surprise, Vorono actually appeared to relent, resting his muscles and taking one step back although the high tension was still there. "I have been at that place for years…and I have seen…all the pain that has gone through it.

* * *

><p><em>September 14, 1997, the very first day.<br>_

_I have always worked in that facility, one of Garder F. Morotisan's most trusted advisors. I was the guard who kept everyone in check kept the facility safe from harm. I had known Garder for a few years then, in fact I remember rather nostalgic memories of us on the battlefield. Even though those were the days of battles and bloodshed, it was also a time of memories and I guess it was also a better time. _

_I began working with Vladimir Cents when it became quite obvious that to earn my reward would have to make sacrifices and it came to me that my sacrifice may very well overrule my reward. What is my reward? What do I possibly want to earn so badly that I am willing to kill even a single girl? Do I possibly have a good enough reason to commit such a heinous murder? I think all of us; every last member can agree that we don't do this for ourselves. I have no idea what Roy, Orlana or Julius are trying to obtain but I know it isn't just for them. We are dark and demented people, who gave up our lives as people to become killers._

_We do not deserve forgiveness._

_We do not deserve gratitude._

_We deserve truly only oblivion and yet we can't. I know that what I have done is wrong; we all do, with the exception of course, Vladimir Cents. That might have been why; he was such a good leader in the first place because he had absolutely no moral values whatsoever. He'd kill them, he'd kill us, and he'd slaughter any and everybody just to have a good laugh. He's a monster, to the very core and it honestly makes me feel a little better about myself but there is one thing I will admit…_

_Without him…probably none of us could get where we were. Ignoring things such as emotions, predicting the kills, that's what we were trained to do. But we didn't forget our emotions; we didn't go blind with happiness like our leader did. I like to think we made a pact together, I, Roy, Orlana and Julius. A pact written not in words, but in thought. I think we a made a promise, when we were gathered together on one raining day, the dark clouds hovering above us as Vladimir stood there with his arms crossed and that wicked smile of his showing upon his face. I think we all made a promise on that day._

_We would be killers._

_We would be murderers._

_We would be assassins._

_We would kill men, women, children, the young, the old, the brave, the cowardly, the intelligent, and the simplistic, any and all things to earn a bit of cash. However, we would not do it for ourselves. We would kill for others; murder others for the sake of others. I think of my reward as irony but I guess it can be said for the others as well. Just an ironic award from an ironic point._

"Good morning." Garder said in his struggling voice, raising his eyes as Vorono walked in with shadows under his eyes. "You didn't get much sleep."

"No, it's fine Garder. Do you want me to check up on her?"

"Please do so, oh and Vorono, keep talking to her. You seemed to be one of the very few people that she'll talk to. I want you to keep that close connection as you might be able to push Alya's personality out of her."

"Of course." The Head Guard replied shortly before leaving. It was rare for any humans to walk through the Diclonius cage hallways and not been leered or jeered at. He was one of the few people who could go through the cages of hateful vengeance and not be looked at with extreme prejudice. He stopped at a single one, the number 90 engraved on a white plaque with the name "Elrya" engraved upon it. Instinctively he looked to the right, seeing an empty cell which held the number 91 and the name on the plaque "Alya." Elrya's body was full of wounds from her last day of experimentation and wondered if she was in a good mood to talk.

"Hello Elrya." He said simply, watching as the young preteen lifted her head up lazily and gave her one of her rare gentle smiles. "Ah! Hello." She said, raising herself up and wincing slightly from the pain. "I don't have to go to any more experimentations do I?" She asked nervously, breathing out when he shook his head. "Thanks…"

"I actually want to talk to you for a while. Do you mind if I sit down?"

"No go ahead?" And she let him, she took no qualm in letting this human enter her cell, entering what might be death and sit down on the bed. He didn't care that she was nude nor the dangers she posed. "How's Alya doing?"

"I'm fine." Alya said, emerging from Elrya's mind. He had learned to face the other cell and speak in that direction despite knowing that the person he was speaking to was right next to him. The poor girl didn't have a clue that she had been talking to herself but it had been made very clear by Garder to never mention it. "That's good Alya, I hope you haven't had too much of a hard time." He said as both a serious statement of concern and as a way to keep Alya calm.

"I could be a lot better…" She uttered with a clear sign of disgust in her mouth. "How do you even stomach it Vorono? I mean, you're like the only one who isn't a complete monster to us, so why do you even work here?"

"It's my job."

"Tsk." She didn't seem to think that was the whole thing but she decided to ignore it at any point. "You should consider yourself very lucky guard, if anybody but you had come in here, I'd slaughter them without hesitation!"

"You shouldn't do that." Vorono replied, sensing the already erupting anger coming from the instinctive Diclonius.

"Yes I will!" She shrieked back at him. "All of them…I…I have to kill…all of them."

_That's exactly what she was like when I first met her, Elrya's alter ego Alya. It wasn't new that Diclonius had a specific genetic formality that made them aggressive against humans. Yet Alya had been a case of such an extreme nature, she killed and killed and killed. She almost seemed to struggle with an inert feeling that kept her from ever stopping. To keep Alya from becoming so disobedient, I tried to coax her into knowing that not all humans were bad. _

_It worked, for a bit I guess. She was still wild and uncooperative but she was also much calmer. She killed but in less intervals and Elrya's personality remained dominant for the most part. However it became quite obvious that Alya was only being suppressed and I knew Garder's intentions from the very start. Because Alya's destructive nature and lack of values, she was deemed too dangerous. Yet Elrya was still part of her, they were the one and same person and Garder needed her alive. _

_Does anybody know…the kind of confliction that was in those eyes…when he ordered her execution? _

_Vladimir Cents, The Incorrigible. The only man to have values of suffering and chaos to match that of the instinctive Diclonius. I'm pretty sure Garder called him because his lack of morality would be beneficial against Alya. Yet none of us expected that Vladimir would become so obsessed with the girl that he would begin to break off and do as he pleased._

_What do I want?_

_What reward do I wish to attain?_

_What can I earn, with a great amount of money? Cash, riches, that which makes the world go round._

* * *

><p>Vorono looked at the two, having thought clearly and dropped his arms. "What are you planning on doing exactly? I want the entire truth." The Head Guard said strictly. Breathing in deeply, Roy gave a curt nod to Bando who slowly lowered his gun and letting the two talk. "I, Bando as well as a few other people have joined Elrya, although we had a run in with Zeruda and got separated. We had planned on raiding the weakest of the facilities and releasing the Diclonius and as our numbers got larger, we'd go to each other facility releasing them all and finally stopping Garder and Kakuzawa."<p>

"I see. A change of heart."

"I guess you could call it that."

"Can I ask, what you desired?" Vorono asked.

"Sure. My son, Koroh Synth suffered from a fatal case of multiple cancers and could not be healed without a specific quality and quantity of medicine. This of course could only be purchased with a great amount of money. However my son died before anything could be done and worst of all, he died not only believing but absolutely knowing that his own father was a sick killer.

I…lost my wife…and her own killer has been my own boss.

I…lost my son…and the last thing he remembers was my life as murderer.

I…have been trying to kill the wrong person this entire time."

_What do I desire above all? We all made an internal promise, to never earn for ourselves but to earn for others. I changed my rank not for pride but because I had no desire to hurt that girl or her alternate ego. I can never change what I have become, but I can still make a change right?_

_What do I desire?_

_What do I want?_

_The answer…which my own friend has given me as if he knew all along._

_We made an internal promise…to help others because we couldn't help ourselves._

_What I desire most of all…is to make a single difference and save just one lost soul stuck in that deranged prison created by Kakuzawa._

"Alright then…I will help you."

"Thanks." Roy said, smiling and realizing that now, perhaps not the best and defeat was still highly possible, their chances of winning had just increased. "However…" Vorono added, his voice dropping suddenly. "You must promise me that you will keep to your plan, and save those that are in the facility. Otherwise I will stick to Vladimir's original plan, and kill you."

"Of course." Roy answered back with the same tone of seriousness. "I have to thank you again Vorono, though becoming a traitor might not be to your liking."

"I've worked in the facility for over 9 years and not once have I been able to get closer to my goals. I honestly wanted, to help those children in there who were suffering for so long and yet the only thing I did was become an ironic mistake. I worked with a man who relished in nothing but suffering and I went off to just kill more of those whom I promised to save.

* * *

><p>"This is all a game to her, like breaking the wings off of an insect." Isobe thought watching as the 5 year old girl in the wheel chair, with a gleeful smile on her cherubic face, batted, beat and smacked around Nana with no intent of stopping until Nana stopped drawing breath. Again and again, her body hit the concrete road and slid her around, spreading her warm blood all over and laughed.<p>

"Hm?" Mariko queried, tilting her head to the side and lifting the girl up, her body limp and mostly limbless. "Is she dead already…this was no fun at all." She said, thoroughly disappointed.

"Go on, finish her. There's no need to keep doing this." Isobe muttered.

"Fine then…" The Sipilet mumbled, groaning deeply. She picked her head up when she heard the girl she had held up in the air moaning something. "P-Papa…" She couldn't help but feel a bit of distaste for the girl right there. What nerve she had to beg for her father when her own father left her to be stuck in a chamber for all of her life, unable to move and only hearing that one woman's voice the entire time. How dare she ask for her father. "It's alright. Once I kill you I'll find him and I help him to you."

!

*BASH!*

Not even a moment to comprehend it, Mariko felt the blow against her face, breaking her nose and sending her flying straight out of her wheelchair and sprawled on the ground. Isobe, still facing the opposite direction had seen the wheelchair fly past him and slowly turned his head, seeing the wheelchair, seeing Number 35 lying down on the street and then at the whirlwind emerging at the other end. "I'm sorry, care to repeat that again? What exactly are you going to do to Papa?" Nana said with such viciousness in her voice it was like she was an entirely different person. The entire innocence in her eyes had left, leaving only a terrible rage in them.

"Fool!" Isobe yelled. "It's because you decided to go easy on her."

"That's not it." Mariko mumbled. "I was doing great it's just that…I couldn't even see it."

"Really?" The man moaned, looking back at Nana. "This change in Number 7 is astounding, what's going on with her?

Mariko, irked at this change of directions, lashed quickly out. "You're an eyesore! Get out of the way!" But the moment she had finished her sentence, she felt the cold feeling of hands enter into her head and pinch. A small shrieked echoed into the sky as Mariko clutched her head, wincing in pain and hating the girl. "Sorry but I won't be dying so easily." Nana mocked arrogantly, her expression still dangerous. But now it was over, she'd go and bury this girl once and for all for dare making such a remark about Papa. "My father…my oh so loving father…didn't even care about me." Mariko groaned, staring up at Nana with distaste. "Your father has nothing to do with my Papa." The other replied softly, uncaring about the girl.

"They don't have a clue." Isobe thought sadly. "That the 'Papa' Number 7 admires so much is actually the biological father of Number 35.

And then…as if on cue, Kurama stepped into the mix.

* * *

><p>The mysterious man kept a good distance from the lethal woman, glaring at her and wondering if there was any way he could perhaps get rid of her for such disrespect against him. He took a glance over at the missile, smiling discreetly at the thought of humanity finally perishing. Of course he was also above humans as well, he was greater than all the apes and when the job was finished, oh such a beautiful world it would be. He could already imagine making love to those horned girls, plunging into their bodies again and again. That only made him more disgusted with Orlana, how dare she refuse him. Perhaps, had she been more cooperative, she could've at least stayed alive with the rest of them. "You know…I might forgive you, if you take your skirt off."<p>

"You really do have a problem huh? Is the only thing you think about is sex? They have rehabilitation centers for those kinds of problems you know."

"Kuh! Mock me…will you bitch."

"If I was mocking you, I would laugh. I am merely stating the obvious sir, you have a problem and big one at that. You are a perverted pedophile."

Almost comically, a vein sprouted on the man's head. "You've got some nerve. Remember woman I am part of the greater race, not you. You should just be obedient now…yeah…" he whispered, coming on to her again and groping her. The man certainly lacked any sort of composure or sense in him. At least when Vladimir had enough sense in him to know that whatever he did would benefit himself in the long run and actually knew when to stop in situations. This man, who apparently wanted to treat her as some sort of toy, lacked any fiber of decency imaginable.

"Ah!" Moaning, he seemed to take Orlana's arching of her back as a sign for him to continue. He was already placing his hands under her bra and smiling that sickening smirk of satisfaction. "Now why don't I just appreciate at your…" he began reaching down before the next thing he knew, two teeth were knocked out as well as most of her sense by a large foot against his head. "GAH!" Spitting up blood falling on his knees, he saw three people, one armless, a brutal looking soldier with his foot raised and even larger man with one side of his head completely bald. "That felt absolutely nostalgic!" Bando barked. "What the hell kind of sicko are you?"

"Apparently one who doesn't know who he's messing with." Roy added, starring at Orlana. "This might not be the best time to ask this, considering what might happen after. Are you alright Orlana? We may be enemies right now but he went too far there." Zeruda gave him a long look and nodded. "I guess I should thank you then. Vorono, what are you doing with them?"

"I have decided to help them and Elrya. It has become obvious that as I have said I have fallen under an ironic mistake. I've been hunting down those who I wanted to protect and now, for the first time I'd like to change that. I ask of you, step away from this and help us."

"…I can't."

"Please. I ask of you not as a member of Cents, but as a friend. Please help us."

"…I can't do that. I've come so close to finally earning what I've wanted for so long. I'm getting closer and closer and just can't step away from it now. You should understand too really." She pulled out the silver watch, the two members tensing up. "Vorono, you were expected to kill Roy and Bando and you have instead betrayed us. You know that I can't allow that." The Head guard smiled sadly. "I know, I understand your desires to attain whatever the reward might be. I understand that this fight is something that you take no enjoyment out of."

"Bando, it's about to get rough here." Roy said, letting his bullets hover. "Deal with the asshole over there will you? We don't need to be interrupted."

"Be happy to." Bando said loudly, cracking his knuckle sin the process.

The three members walked further away, making some distance and faced another. "Vorono, I'm still fairly weak from fighting her ago, I'm not going to be able to go all out."

"Understood."

"I never thought that'd we be fighting against each other." Orlana said simply, opening her eye and with a push, popped the silver coin right out into her hand. Her eye was blank, just a black splotch. Roy tensed up, ignoring the bead of sweat that dripped from his chin and knowing it would be foolish to attack without knowing what was coming. It was the first time she had ever taken out her coin and could only imagine the trouble it would cause. Vorono was prepared as well, his finger on his coin stationed at his neck he removed it and put it into his mouth.

"All or nothing now." Roy muttered.

*SNAP!* The coin was inserted into the watch, clicked and the flash of light gleamed into their world.

*CRACK!* Vorono bit down, snapping the coin in half and letting the mixture drip into his throat.

And now…it began.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Chapter 30 finally finished and the epic battle is starting. Vorono through a change of heart and ideals has joined Roy and the others to stop the madness but even with two members, do they have a chance against The Clock Stopper? Meanwhile the missile countdown continues and Garder heads out to deal with Mariko herself. Yet at all this, ElryaAlya, Yin and Miriana are completely oblivious to everything that's going around them. Which is quite bad because their friends may need their help more than any time now. What will happen next...on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"

Please R&R


	31. The Clock Stopper

**Chapter 31: The Clock Stopper**

"Great." The Sniper moaned deeply. "What kind of powers does she have now thanks to her coin?" For the most part, after inserting the coin into her watch nothing appeared to happen though of course both Roy and Vorono knew that this wasn't the case. They might not know what would happen but they did know that when something did happen, it wouldn't be easy to get by. There also didn't seem to be much going on in Vorono's case even after using his own silver coin but as with Orlana, looks could be deceiving.

"Vorono…do you feel that?" Roy asked, shaking his head slightly as the world around him twisted and churned. "I do...so this is the power of your coin eh Zeruda?"

"That is correct." Orlana muttered simply, holding her watch in front of her so that it moved back and forth. "Without the coin I can only cast small illusions on a singular entity but with the silver coined entered, it's true ability is shown. The ability to turn the entire world into illusions by unleashing a specific chemical that I have invented. The Ultimate Illusion…The Clock Stopper.

Of course rIghT noW Even Me TalKing is ProBabLY bEcoMiNg DifFiculT foR yoU Two tO understand."

"What the…?" Easily confused, Roy tilted his head to the side as Orlana's voice came out in a strange and echoing pitch, going up and down and in and out like a ghost. "Screw it!" Roaring at the end, he concentrated on the woman in front of him and fired the bullets slamming into the ground yet not even a bit surprised. "I thought so, I learned a bit from the last fight and…GUH!" When did it happen, when did he get cut by her pointed blade? He hadn't expected his bullets to hit; he had seen enough of her normal illusions to know that it would never end that quickly. Yet she had struck again without his notice, without even a sound. It was now becoming painfully obvious that he could no longer use his normal senses to fight this woman. Turning on the spot, Orlana made a quick slash against Vorono's chest and found much to her surprise that her own sword had snapped in two.

"Now I see why you are called 'The Tank." She said solemnly.

"That's right." Vorono answered back seriously. "Without my coin, I'm pretty normal, I've just got a bit of military training under my belt. However once I use my coin, it inserts a formula into my body that increased the muscle contraction in my body. I guess we're at a bit of an end here. I can't hit you and you can't hurt me."

"I woOLldn't go As far as tO say that." Orlana spoke darkly, taking another blade out and getting into position, the sharpened point facing her adversary with its intent deadly. "ThERe are many pARts of the huMan body that are weaker than most. I don't see why I CAN't stab you in the eyes for exaMple."

The Tank ducked mostly on instincts which were well enough because the blade which would've pierced his right eye instead passed over his head, taking a few strands of his air with it. "Good dodge, keep it up." She said darkly, moving around to his back and striking his shins. The blade snapped in two like it had with his chest but already a third sword was in her hand. "I guess his entire body is like that except for his eyes. You might prove even more difficult than I imagined Vorono Girikuson." She thought heavily, poised to strike and taking a step back as the man's massive hand lunged at her face and missed. "He then attempted another strike but missed completely, the illusions effecting his coordination.

"Illusions. Everything is an illusion." Roy muttered, watching, or at least assumed he was watching Orlana. *SLASH!*

"YoU NeeD to Pay AttenTIon RoY." Orlana spoke in her illusionary voice, slicing across his chest as he fired once at the direction he was hit but as usual missed like all the other times. "Crap! I feel so pathetic right now. I…I can't concentrate. An entire world of illusions, what's real and what isn't? I can't tell! Crap!"

The Tank kept his hands closed to his face, his eyes the weakest part of his body but unfortunately another fact was now becoming very apparent when Orlana's third sword slashed across his wrists, snapped but this time actually drew blood. "Oh? YoU are bleeding NoW. I GuEsS YouR Coin does not have ThAt Long of A PeRIOd of Use." The fourth sword, who knew how many she had, was draw and ready to strike with lethal precision. "You are right, this has been a battle of time." Vorono replied strictly before adding as an afterthought. "Which unfortunately I don't much of right now. My silver coin only lasts for about 10 minutes before the formula in my body dissolves."

*SLASH!* *SLICE* SLISH!*

The blade slashed and hacked against his hands, cutting his skin and leaving the blade dented. As if out of nowhere she pulled another blade from behind her and bent low, slicing small bits of skin off at the shins. With her illusions at hand as well as her own agility, Vorono's punch was merely an annoying hazard for you. Their ranks might have changed but their abilities did not, she still outclassed both Vorono and Roy individually and as a team they hardly faired any better.

"Everything is an illusion, I can't trust anything that I see." Roy thought, still trying to concentrate. "Every time she attacks me, I have no idea where it will even come from. Perhaps…if I lie on something other than my sight. Perhaps if I tried…something on…location?" Roy, began moving back, feeling the air around him but keeping his sights locked forward without moving. Feeling something against his back, he thought he was up against some sort of railing. "Is it real though? With all these illusions it is impossible to tell. But it feels real, my skin is touching it, so it must be real. I guess I have no choice but to follow it and see what happened. Sliding his body slowly across the railing, he felt something cold and rough against his side. "Alright, I only have a clue of what this is. If this doesn't work then I'm pretty much screwed…well actually I'm probably screwed even if this does work." He said, chuckling despite himself. Gazing over at the fight, Vorono and Orlana would wisp around his field of vision and for the most part, Vorono was on the losing end of the fight. He hoped his plan worked because it might be their last chance.

Then she came, she saw her movements as if she were teleporting around the obscene world of her illusions, but not daring to shoot at her yet. He'd miss anyways as accuracy was something that no longer mattered in this fight. Besides he'd probably just end up shooting Vorono anyways. Closer the Clock Stopper came, perhaps it only took a few seconds but it felt forever and the worst part about it, he felt entirely defenseless, just waiting and hoping his plan worked. Then as if he could hear just for a split second the stream of wind as the sword stabbed through the air, he felt a burning intense agony in his gut and blood running down his mouth.

*CHOMP!*

He'd have used his hands if he had any but his mouth worked well enough. Just as Orlana pulled her sword from his gut, he clamped his teeth onto her blade, feeling the edge slice into his flesh and making his already bloody mouth spewing up blood which at this point he was become accustomed to tasting. "Gotcha..." Roy growled through his clenched teeth, and fired once from the side. The bullet at such close range torn through Orlana's side, sending her first wave of blood into the sky and crashing against her Clock Stopper which from the force exploded like a miniature bomb. The piece fell and for the first time, the world suddenly twisted, turned, swirled and then like some sort of dream reemerged as it once was before. Looking plain, normal and without problems to it. "Guh! How did you possibly know! Everything should be an illusion!"

"I didn't Orlana." Roy replied, smiling though by no means arrogantly either. "An important aspect that all snipers have is the ability to know their location. In truth I was going by luck and just hoping it would work but I had the idea that I would to follow more than just my eyes against you. With your Clock Stopper, we really don't have a chance against you and I admit it. There's a reason you were once the 3rd Cent after all. However without it, you no longer have those Illusions, which means I know where you are and where to shoot.

Feeling the rail behind me, though I only guessed it, I was right to think that your illusions didn't affect my sense of touch. So I slid my body against this rail and continue to slide it until I hit the side here. If my plan worked and as you can see it did, you would only have one way of attacking me. Dead head on, giving me the exact location of where you were at. Amazing how much can change with a little bit of location eh?"

"You really aren't a novice at these sorts of things are you?" She muttered, barely eyeing the floating bullet that hovered just level with her head. "However don't think this means that you've won. My sword is still stuck in you after all."

"Not to be arrogant but my bullet is hovering at your head and in a case of speed, the moment you try anything, I would have shot you." Roy answered back with as much seriousness as Orlana had said in her statement. The two stared at each other in a silent battle of thoughts, Vorono, not needing to make an already bad situation worse, stood at the sidelines and watched with baited breath.

"So why don't you shoot me?" The Clock Stopper finally asked. "This is your chance, perhaps your only chance at taking me down." Roy, wincing as his gut burned intently answered with a frank tone. "I have learned that I can't do these things on my own even if I do have enough skill or power. If we have any hope of winning this fight then I'm going to need the help of others. So I want to ask that you stop this and help us out. Tell me, Orlana Zeruda, The Clock Stopper. What is it that you desire most of all?"

"…Why would you want to ask such a thing?" She inquired almost at once with a raise of her eyebrow.

"There is something that I believe." Vorono muttered, catching the woman's attention. "I believe that we, the members of Vladimir's group made a promise, not a direct one but an indirect one. Since we were killers, unable to change what we were we would help others. I believe that your reason, whatever it might be, is to help others."

The woman turned her head to look at him, her eyes digging into The Tank's own and seemed to be conflicting with her own thoughts because her bottom lip kept quivering ever so slightly. "I made a promise…" She whispered. "…That I would never regret the path that I have chosen." Then with one swift movement she whipped her thin blade from Roy's stomach and turned, feeling the bullet pass her ear, taking a bit of it off and slashed again at The Sniper, leaving a deep gash against his chest. She moved with movement of grace, two swords in her hands, she rushed across the ground almost at an arch, moving in a zigzag formation before the sword crisscrossed against Vorono's chest, leaving an X-mark splatter.

_If I give up on my promise to that person then I will be nothing more but a weak minded person. I understand what you want, I understand what you are talking about but I can't do it. If I stop right now then I will have nothing left._

And the thing was…both Roy and Vorono knew exactly how she felt and that her reasons were justifiable.

* * *

><p>"Hey. Hey. Hey. Th-this has all just been a big misunderstanding…"<p>

*BAM!*

Fist in face, Bando delivered another devastating blow against the wicked man, knocking out another tooth and cracking his knuckles menacingly. "Where's the damn misunderstanding, sick pervert? The only thing I see is a damn little piece of shit that can't get laid on his own!" Bando roared back landing another blow against the man without so much as a warning. Unlike the other battle, Bando was clearly winning his although in a second that might change. Swiftly, the weapon was pulled out, eyes widening vehemently before pulling the trigger. It was sudden and before he knew it, Bando felt the iron spiked ball jam into his gut near the right side and collapsed on the floor.

"Sh-Shit! The hell is this! GUH!"

"Oh I bet that hurts." The man muttered with cold satisfaction, taking great enjoyment as his opponent screamed. "Those barbs are filled with a neurotoxin that will quickly spread a pain inducing chemical into your body. It's been tested against Diclonius itself so really, someone like you can't do a thing about it. Of course even by some miracle you managed to get a hold of it would merely stick to your hand as you tried to pull it out with enough strength. Isn't that right fucker!"

"GUH! GAAAH! How dare you…make my body defective you fool!" The soldier growled, sweating profusely and clutching his gut, trying to pull it out. "I told you it's useless. Really you're such an idi…"

"GUH! UGH! GUUUUUUGH! GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Before Bando with an extreme effort ripped it out with his mechanical hand, holding it up high. "Haa…Haa…Haa. You know you bastard, you just earned yourself a one way ticket to an absolute ass whooping." The man glared with absolute horror and shock even taking multiple steps back. "That's impossible; the pain alone should have knocked you unconscious anyways! What the fuck are you? That hand? It's freaking artificial isn't it!"

"That's right you punk. I didn't become a top dog by being a weak sniveling coward like you. Got to be in the game if I'm ever going to take down that pink haired bitch after all. Now let's begin…" Raising his hand, ball still in it, the wicked man began waving his hands frantically. "Wait! This has all been just a big misunderstanding!" He cried out turning to try to run and feeling his own weapon bashed against his buttocks in irony. He screamed, cried and rolled around as the pain jabbed into his being. "Come on…we're only on round two you bastard!"

"Damn! Gah! Gah! It fucking hurts!"

"Serious?" Bando mocked. "At least give me a real reaction, you cowardly perverted punk!"

"Damn you! Damn you! Damn you! You'll pay for this! I swear you'll pay for this you freaking lowlife!" Growling and moaning, it was poetic justice to be dealt with in such a way. "YO BITCH!" He roared yelling at Orlana desperately and reaching out. "HELP ME YOU CUNT! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? GIVE ME A HAND WHORE!" Orlana gave him a passing glance as if merely acknowledging his existence before with an almost casual turn of her head, went back to fighting Roy and Vorono. "DON"T TURN AWAY FROM ME WHORE! I OWN YOU! I OWN YOU!

*BAM!*

He was knocked out again, hitting his head against the hard pavement from Bando's blow. "You really are a worthless little coward aren't you? At least have a little respect you bastard! Hell, at least have the decency to fight me on your own!"

"Crap! You will pay!"

* * *

><p>Mariko laid on the ground, looking up with wide as eyes as Kurama, her very own father pointed the gun directly at her head. "This isn't right. Why are you doing this?" She asked timidly, on the very verge of tears. Kurama his grief hidden behind his glasses merely stated in a matter of fact tone. "Mariko. You aren't responsible for all the pain but if I let this go on, more and more people will die and get hurt. I'm sorry."<p>

"Even if I couldn't be loved by my father. I at least wanted to be loved by my mother but even that couldn't happen. All I wanted was to be loved but I couldn't even get that! Tell me…why? Why? WHY WAS I CURSED TO HAVE SUCH A LIFE!" She lost it completely, morbidly depressed and chaotically emotional, Mariko decided right then and there that it was a complete waste of time. Isobe already seeing the problem at hand yelled out with much haste. "Number 35! Stop it! Stop it right now!" But the young Diclonius was already too far gone to listen much less even care what that man had to say. She lashed out, moaning, screaming and tearing up everything. Isobe barely had time to register what had happened before his entire body was ripped to gory shreds and unrecognizable pieces. "Papa! Please stand back Papa!" Nana cried out fearfully.

"That's right. I'll kill…everyone!" She screeched, tearing apart the pier, pieces of wood and metal bars flying everywhere. "All I wanted was to be loved and yet everyone hated me! I kill them! I kill everyone! I will!"

"Mariko! Please stop!" Kurama begged but even the voice of her own father wasn't enough to stop her. She was already rising above the ground, the swarms of arms flaring like a wild fire around her. The cold red eyes, streaming with tears around them, dropping into small little puddles below her feet. Deranged and ultimately saddened, Mariko Kurama stared off at the city and hated it. Everyone there didn't care about her and so she wouldn't care about them either. "Stop it! Stop it Mariko!" Kurama roared, knowing the danger and in a fit of desperation began firing at his own daughter. The bullets were blocked while Mariko, with an almost sweet smile said to her father. "I wasn't supposed to be this way. I was born out of love but was never loved. You were supposed to protect me father, but instead you left me in that horrible place! You cared more for that girl over there than you did for your own daughter!" She shrieked back at him, smacking Nana away with one of her hands.

"Nana!" Kurama yelled at his adopted daughter before Mariko took her hands and pressed them against the ground. She planned, no expected no demanded that everyone died. Why should she suffer such pain while those people lived happily? She wanted to lash out at them, to rip them apart without hesitation. For the briefest of seconds she contemplated killing her own father, he'd deserve it anyways, leaving her in that horrible place but yet an even more sinister idea came to her. It wouldn't be enough just to kill him, he needed to suffer and thus he'd watch as his own child murdered again and again! She'd save Number 7 for last and kill her right in front of his eyes but for now, she had other things to do. The whirlwind surrounding her, she compressed her vectors into the ground and shot off towards the city.

"Mariko! Mariko!"

"Kurama."

!

Turning quickly, the spectacle man saw to his surprise Garder, his glasses also hiding the dark glare of his eyes. "Number 7…" He added almost as an afterthought to the beaten Sipilet. Kurama's concern well noted as Garder was after all one of the directors and Number 7 was supposed to be dead. Yet Garder paid no more attention to his adopted daughter than that quick glance and instead gazed off at the disappearing figure of Mariko heading off to the city. "This old body of mine is becoming quite a pain. I didn't come here fast enough to stop her."

"D-Director Garder?"

"Take Number 7 away Kurama and get out. I have no intention of speaking about you or the Sipilet for that matter. You have my word that Kakuzawa will not know about it. I am going to stop Number 35 right now."

"Ah! Sir, my daughter is saddened and in pain. She doesn't know what she's doing." Kurama began before being interrupted by the elder man. "Even if that is so, she's still going off to kill people under her own volition. I had a feeling this would happen which is why I attempted to keep Kakuzawa busy from releasing her. I will kill her though I have no idea the collateral damage that will happen."

"K-Kill?" He uttered, seemingly confused. "It's much too dangerous for you to go there." He added in an even more confused tone when Garder bent low on his knees, breathing in deeply.

"I am more than capable of handling myself." He said strictly and then, with one quickly lunge, Garder F. Morotisan sprinted down the street, watching Mariko's figure in the air and racing off to intercept her.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: The battle heats up and even though Roy has managed to negate the power of her Clock Stopper, Orlana still proves to be a deadly force even against both him and Vorono. Meanwhile Mariko has finally gone off the deep end and has decided as retribution to slaughter the poor people near the city. Garder having finally arrives now rushes off to intercept her and take her down himself. What will happen next on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p>

As you read this is mostly a retelling of the whole Mariko Arc in the manga with many changes here and there. As usual keep reading and enjoy.


	32. Danger Zone

**Chapter 32: Danger Zone**

The wind crashed against his face as Garder ran across the pier, his sights locked directly on the figure soaring through the air and hearing quite clearly the sound of explosions as her vectors hit cars, street and even people to keep her aloft. She would reach the city well before him and start her destruction, death was inevitable so he had to hurry and stop what he could. Cars swerved, screaming as some random man zipped past them, his body still arched low to keep his speed and balance up. It was like his war days, heading to the destruction, the possibility of death high and not a care about it. Mariko was too dangerous and as he ran he thought that Elrya could become this dangerous as well.

Time was becoming a concern and when it became a concern it was time to amp it up. Swerving to the side, he stopped the first car he saw, narrowly avoiding be hit himself. "What are you stupid or something man! Get out of the…guh!" Before being grasped by the collar of his shirt and forcibly thrown out of his vehicle onto the street. He didn't even bother explaining anything to the man and considering his position had no reason to tell him anything anyways. With a quick press of the pedal and a swerve to avoid the other angry pedestrians, Garder sped down the high way, his eyes still locked up on the girl. She'd reach the city in a few minutes and instantly increased the acceleration. Driving closer and closer, he could easily see the collateral damage that was created merely by Mariko's need to head to the city. Cars were torn and flipped over, craters in the ground where her hand had pressed against it were visible and bodies, both whole and in pieces were scattered about.

Closer and closer he drove until he could finally see the flying girl directly, her pink hair whipping around wildly. Lowering his windows he concentrated, removing all sounds until he could hear only the sounds of the vibrations of her vectors. A wise idea because he was almost directly below her.

*BASH!*

It came from the side as his ears perked up and the car jerked to the left, barely hearing the explosion from behind. He continued to drive with perfect accuracy, jerking and dodging every time he heard one of her hands coming far too close and only barely avoiding the strikes from her hands. Mariko above never noticed that she was being chased and in fact wouldn't have cared even if she did know. Not once had the tears left her eyes nor the burning rage that filled her very soul. All the people there, she'd slaughter them all! She would make them all pay for the crimes they committed against her! She wasn't sure exactly how she going to go about doing it, emotionally distraught her inner voice had gotten the better of her and now the only thing that could even register on her 5 year old mind was "Slaughter! Slaughter! Slaughter!" Perhaps standing in the middle of the entire city let the fools see her before she obliterated them was good.

Betrayed and ultimately lost, was there anything else she could do? No! It was impossible and so in her strife she'd take it out on everyone else! As the tears slowly disappeared, her saddened expression slowly became one of childish glee. Tearing the wings off insects as the deceased Isobe had said. She was going to have so much fun doing it.

She was…

…looking at what appeared to be a small grey ball hovering just above her head, and passing by her ear. For one moment she thought it was just debris from her vectors crashing around the ground but this was seemed rather odd. Though the oddness might have come from the fact this this strange little grey ball had suddenly exploded with the force of a bomb. Instinctively wrapping her arms around her, the blast didn't hurt her but it was enough to send her from flight and land lithely on the ground. Confused but ultimately ticked she wondered what sort of idiot would try a stunt like that. Her next answer as she turned around was the speeding vehicle that rammed at its top speed against her. Dragging her feet against the ground, her multiple hands pushed against the car before Garder jumped out, seeing the moment of shock on Mariko's face before throwing a second grenade into the front seat of the car.

*BOOM!*

It and the entire vehicle blew up in a fury of fire and smoke, Mariko's body disappearing in the inferno as those around screamed and ran away, fearing for their lives as they well should have anyway. Garder, picking himself off his knees brushed the soot off of his feet and kept his hearing in check, removing the ringing from the explosion. The two of them were on the outskirts of the center of the city although even he wasn't sure how long that would last. It didn't come to a surprise to him when the wind kicked up and the flames flew back revealing the powerful Siplilet floating a few inches off the ground and murder in her eyes. Her skin and dress were torn and tattered and her side of her face burned but she was most certainly alive.

"How difficult…" He uttered. "I had hoped that stunt would have at least put you out of commission if not outright killed you."

"Who are you?" Mariko asked coldly.

"My name is Garder F. Morotisan, director of one of the Diclonius facilities. In short order I am here to end your life before you can cause any more trouble."

"Heh! Heh! Heh!" Giggling childishly the young girl pointed an opposing finger at him. "You? You think you're going to kill me? That was really funny." And she continued to giggle rising above him like some small angel of death and compressing her vectors into the street until it cracked around Garder. The man didn't raise his head to look up at her; his hearing alone knew where she was and it was the only thing that mattered to him. It was useless to his eyes against something that he couldn't see after all. She was still giggling although at this point it was hard to tell if it was from the joy she was going to get from making this man pay for being such an idiot or just the depression of having lost everything that was making her more and more unsound.

*WHOOSH!*

"To the right, head level…" He thought and ducked low, feeling the corporeal arm slash above him. Mariko's reaction as any of her kind was surprise and even slightly fearful. Much like Lucy she only assumed it had been luck and struck again. "To the side, lower, mid chest." Side stepping out of the way, the hand barely missed him while Mariko glared with a look of incredulous shock on his face. "That's not right! You can't see my hands."

"That's right, I can't see them." Garder answered back, not even looking at her. "How can I avoid them? For my entire life ever since I was a soldier I have learned to listen to the different sounds and vibrations in the air. Someone like you even with your invisible arms mean nothing to me. I don't have to see anything to know where it is."

Mariko hardly understood what he was talking about but she had gathered enough to know that he thought he could win. "What a fool!" She yelled back and struck down, the hands rushing out like a maelstrom of hateful vengeance. Garder with his cold eyes closed listened intently and begin to avoid the hands with perfect precision. He moved swiftly, listening intently to the sounds around him each time one of her arms came upon him, his reflexes kicked in and he narrowly avoided the strike. Then seeing his moment he bent low, gripped the third grenade and ripped the pin off. He already knew that if he threw it up now she'd just throw it away or worse right back at him. He had to wait, knowing the time limit and then at the last moment chucked it up. "Like that'll work!" Mariko screeched, attempting to knock it back but too late.

*BOOM!*

Blown backwards before her hand could even hit it, she had protected herself from most harm but having been forced back on the ground, Garder now had his opportunity to close the distance and eliminate her. "GET AWAY!" Screaming at him, she found it disturbing to watching him avoid her hands using apparently nothing but his own hearing and then he came upon her. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled the tungsten out, bullet already loaded and fired directly at her face. Flying backwards, Garder had to admit that she was going to be even more difficult than even he had imagined. Even up close and with such a powerful gun at that, Kurama Mariko had still managed to throw the bullet off so that it only grazed past her face. Yet now she was angry not, anger wasn't enough to describe her emotion. Furious might have been close but even that wasn't enough. Deranged perhaps? Closer but yet it just didn't describe it enough. She was some great form of infuriated, to be attacked by this fool while losing everything. "Die." It was just one word, one singular cold word of aversion for this old man. First 5 then 10 then at last 12 hands flew behind her, grasping part of the metallic structure of the building behind her. Screams flew around her that both she and Garder ignored while the latter tensed up, Mariko rip the structure apart and throwing the massive piece at him. To the ground he went, lying roughly on the street as the piece flew past his head and crashed into the structure behind him, leaving more death and screams in the wake of their fight. No time to wait, no time to guess but only to react, he pulled out the fourth grenade and went forward.

*RIP!*

Another piece torn off, just as large as the next and chucked just as quickly too. However this time Garder was prepared and threw his grenade. Upon contact the metal piece exploded into several smaller ones leaving his opening to the girl apparent. *BAM!* He took neither qualm nor concern of punching a little girl against the face, no problem with feeling her cheekbone crack against his knuckle. Sliding harshly across the street, she wanted to yell all the obscenities her 5 year old mind could think of but instead she just screamed incomprehensibly at him. Weapons either too slow or weak to hurt her, Garder had knocked her down, weakening her and then finish her off. It was obviously something that Mariko refused to let happen and fought back with a vicious look in her red eyes.

"Die! Just die like everyone else!"

* * *

><p>"What was that!" Miriana shrieked, nearly losing her own balance when she heard and felt the massive explosion. People were screaming and running away while after a closer inspection, the other three could see the flames and smoke rising into the air. "Yin, Miriana, I know you're probably going to disagree with me but I want you to stay away. I'm going to check it out."<p>

"No!" Miriana cried out. "We promised that we would always stick together and help you out. "It looks too dangerous anyways."

"I know, it's all the better that I go. I can handle myself both of you know that."

"Alright then, please be careful." Yin said softly. "Miriana if a fight actually breaks out over there we aren't going to be much help. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Alright." Miriana mumbled nervously. "Don't get hurt!" She yelled quickly, watching as Elrya sprinted over to the destruction. "I won't! I promise!" Elrya voice echoed back.

"Something bad must be happening." Alya spoke seriously, watching as everyone ran past them in haste. "No doubt, I wonder what's causing it. It's a lot of destruction and some of the bodies…they've been torn up." She added looking at the gore. "It has to be one of my species, I'm absolutely sure of it." But even she didn't know one of her kind who could cause this much collateral damage and death. Hurrying her pace, she stopped and then just starred at what she could see.

Even Mariko paused in her strife to look at the newcomer and finally Garder, showing almost no emotion looked over his shoulder and saw her.

"Elrya…" Garder whispered dangerously. "Alya Elrya."

"Garder…" She replied back with darkness radiating from every syllable in her voice.

At last they meet again.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Mariko and Garder battle throughout the flame torn city yet things have come even more intense as Elrya finally meets up with the man who ordered her own execution. How will things play out?<p> 


	33. Conflictions

**Chapter 33: Conflictions**

Perhaps the sudden intrusion had startled her rampage, Mariko merely starred at the girl tilting her head to the side and wondering who she was. As Elrya currently had her hat on her head the young Sipilet would not have been able to see her horns. Garder didn't need to see them to notice her face and his expression which was already serious enough darkened to the point where shadows were now under his eyes. Elrya at the meantime just looked at him, lips half way parted and her eyes starring with a mix of surprise and most importantly, revulsion. Breathing at a ragged pace, no other time had she felt so infuriated by seeing that man

"El…" Garder began.

"SHUT UP!" The screech echoed into the sky, this man would not dare speak to her at all. He had nothing to say that would matter to her, nothing at all. He could never be forgiven for the atrocious crimes that he had committed, not a single one. "You don't…have any right…to speak." Elrya breathed, hating him, hating him so much. She wanted, without hesitation, to kill him. Alya herself, the embodiment of her instincts wanted to do it even more and the fact that she had yet to take control and lash out was a testament to her own new found endurance. But it wasn't right to kill, she had made a promise that she wouldn't kill again. Yet, just looking at him, that deadpanned stare in his eyes, no concern or care in them, it was disgusting!

"GARDER!" She shrieked it as loud as she could because she wasn't sure how long she was going to endure not beating the every loving crap out of him. "You are the most…despicable person…ever. I thought I could even trust you…and…yet…you betrayed me! Kuh! Guh!" She couldn't even continue for a moment, just snarling and growling under her breath with her teeth clenched as the wind circled around her ominously. "You sent me out there…just to have me…get killed! What are you too weak to do it yourself? I was willing…to what you told me to…but this is out you repay me? Y-You bastard…"

She didn't even let him speak, the moment he opened his mouth she screeched back. "BE QUIET! I told you…that you had…no right to speak. Never again will you have the right to speak! You betrayed me, you betrayed Alya and throughout this crap everything I ever thought was a lie. Even you Garder, I thought perhaps that when you gave me this mission you we're showing a little bit of kindness. I was wrong wasn't I? You just wanted to have me killed because you couldn't do it yourself! You…have…no…right…to…ever…!"

"SILENCE! ALYA ELRYA!" Garder roared with such clarity that Elrya instantly silenced herself and choked on her own words. "Do not speak as though you understand such trivial matters with your obnoxious tongue. Do not speak as though you understand the formality of this ordeal. You are a 15 year old girl whose obnoxious voice grates on my ears. Do not speak of that which you know nothing about!" Even Garder, despite his usual nature of calmness was somehow enraged at Elrya as well. He raised his hand and flexed his fingers, cracking the knuckles.

"B-Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!" She screamed again and again, bending low on her knees and spreading her hands out. "That's the only thing you are…a monster." She said loudly, grinding her teeth so loudly one could hear it. "I'm going to make you suffer so much Garder! I'm going to make you suffer for everything! I'm going to make you suffer! I'm going to make you…!"

*Tap*

"Sorry for interrupting…" Vladimir said in his usual casual voice, resting his arm lazily on Elrya's left shoulder like an arm rest. "…But I couldn't help but notice that wonderful usage of suffering you've been yelling at the top of your lungs…Elrya Alya-chan."

"BASTARD!" She had to take her anger out on someone so why not take it out on the second person she hated most of all. She head swerved around, aiming her vector and slashing him across the chess, pushing him back a few steps. Vladimir on his case, on one his rare times didn't smile or make some crack about her. Instead he actually seemed kind of disappointed. "What a shame…" he whispered almost sadly too. "…Corruption is such a…pitiful thing. The old you would've had tried to kill me without hesitation. You would've gone for my head…and knocked it clear off. What's with this futile attempt?"

"Who says I won't tear your head off?" Elray asked menacingly.

"You're very conflicting nature of course." Vlad uttered with a small smile now on his face. "Through the efforts of humans you've grown weaker, more pathetic, more in denial. In exchange for love, forgiveness and friendship, you've abandoned reason and power. You've been corrupted. At some point you'll have to realize that life is not full of miracles and that you will have to awaken from your silly dream."

"I think you're wrong."

"And thus is already proof of your corruption. If you were confident in what you said, you'd be sure I was wrong, you'd know I was wrong, not you think I was wrong."

"I know you're wrong!" The Diclonius cried back.

"Incorrect Elrya Alya-chan! Do you really think you can deceive the master of lies? You've been weakened and corrupted by love and friendship."

"Oh just shut up already! Maybe you are right, maybe I am regretting killing you though you do deserve it. However that doesn't mean I can't tear you down and stomp your head into the ground you blonde haired bastard!"

"Kyahahahaha! What an interesting declaration but ultimately fruitless." Vladimir spoke aloud, chuckling deeply in his throat.

"Who are all these people…just more…I need to kill." Mariko groaned, getting annoyed at these interruptions.

"Hi, Kurama Mariko, how's life been treating you? Sorry for being so rude, I just had to talk to dream girl over here…" Vladimir was suddenly cut short by Elrya who once again slashed him across his back, and then without so much of a look at her, Vladimir continued talking to Mariko. "…And look at you, this is the first time I've ever met you really. I guess I should introduce myself…" Before going into a deep bow. "One Cent, Vladimir Cents, The Incorrigible."

"How stupid…" The young child groaned. "But if you want to die so badly then I'll grant your wish."

*TEAR*

"HUH!" Much like Elrya, Mariko couldn't even comprehend how Vladimir had lunged forward to her racing vector, snatched it between his teeth and then tore it right off, spitting the hand out and licking his lips sickeningly. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Surprises all around Kurama Mariko, you think the world revolves around you?" He began, reaching behind his neck, pulling his thin rod out and suddenly flinging it behind his back as Elrya's vector smashed against it. Instead of breaking, a bright shine of bluish white light exploded and Elrya was knocked off of her feet landing roughly on her back. Trying to get up, she suddenly found one of his rods pinning her hand to the ground.

"AH!" Screaming loudly, her hand bleeding wickedly, she struck again, slashing across his shoulder of which not only did it not seem to work, Vladimir didn't even flinch. "That won't work Elrya Alya-chan. Non-lethal wounds won't matter here at all, you should know that by now. Even Vash the Stampede could not go on without killing at least once, and if I have to invoke Legato Bluesummer's ideology to make you understand it THEN SO BE IT!" He finally roared at the end, jamming his second rod into her other hand and keeping her pinned to the ground. "Besides, do you really think that you, who have murdered as well, can just suddenly ignore that tenacious feeling in your body when the occasion arises?" He quickly yanked his rods out.

Elrya groaned, moaned and spat her ill comment right back at him. "Just…Just shut up. I can still make you pay for your crimes." Vladimir without warning pulled his rods out, hearing the girl's short moan and then putting them back into his back, sliding them down slowly while relishing in the pain that it gave him. "Very well then…" he spoke forebodingly, a gleam of true heinous abomination in his eyes. "Garder! Have fun with the other girl, besides in 10 minutes, the numbers will be reduced to only 3. Unless of course bomb girl over there has a way to stop her own detonation."

Mariko shuddered, suddenly remembering that fact. The remote had been in Isobe's care by the pier and there was no way she'd get to it in 10 minutes. So that's how it was like, she was going to die miserably, then she'd make everyone else die as miserably as her!

"HYA!" Elrya caught surprise by Vladimir's such roar, prepared for whatever he decided to do but even she couldn't understand completely why he just ran at her, no weapons pulled, she struck almost out of feared instinct. The tips of her fingers slashed against his face, smearing red across it before she heard and definitely felt a resounding crack against her face. The force of his punch against her face was enough to knock her clear off of her feet, yet it didn't stop there. His left hand grasped her right leg in midair, squeezing tightly he threw her back down with one single throw. Gasping what little air she could muster, Elrya went into a daze while Alya came to the front, her expression wild, she sliced and hacked at his body repeatedly until he finally fell on his knees with blood dripping from his maw.

"Close…" He whispered sadistically, calmly wiping a rather large streak of red from his shoulders as if it was careless settling of dust. "…Yet not enough. The same thing goes for you Alya, such petty weaknesses can't thwart me. Although perhaps this is a clever scheme to make me suffer in agony! Slowly cutting me up until I bleed to death."

Alya merely ground her teeth and spat on the ground. "Elrya…I want…to kill him. Ignore it! Ignore that promise and let's kill him!" She thought angrily. "But…if we do…how could Miriana and Yin…even…AH!"

*BAM!*

"Starring into a daze of thought is never going to offer you victory." Vladimir yelled, his fist compressing against the right side of the girl's face and knocking her away, stumbling upon her feet and lowering her head to staunch the bleeding wound. She barely had time to touch her skin before Vladimir's massive foot crashed against her gut, knocking the wind out of her. How bad could it be that she couldn't even stop a man who beat her down with nothing but his bare hands? Yet her conflicting nature kept her from ever unleashing a lethal blow against the dark beast. Her body fell on the ground once, bounced slightly and then slid across the street with her shirt ripping.

Hearing the loud taps of his footsteps, Elrya jumped to her feet and suddenly found the cold grip of his demented fingers around her throat, lifting her up almost lazily while his devilish smile bore into her soul. "Do something…Elrya Alya!" Vladimir stated darkly, squeezing and making her choke. She slashed at him, driving her hand into his shoulder and cutting the flesh out and yet he only continued to squeeze more and more tightly. "Not enough…you will never defeat me with such weakness. Your killing intent, without it you can't do anything.

*SLASH!* A deeper one, against his abdomen which was already bright crimson to begin with and yet it did not no more but have his already iron gripped fingers tightened into a vice. Unable to breath and yet unable to bring herself to attack viciously, she was left in the most pathetic state. Even Alya, the very manifestation of her instincts who had felt the greatest desire to slaughter all humans couldn't get herself to commit the act because she didn't want to lose the love of the person she had finally come to admire and a human at that.

Very slowly but certainly, she found her lung working in some air as Vladimir's fingers slackened though still kept them tight enough to keep her from moving. Then with one swift movement he dropped her and moved from behind holding her once again in a vice like grip at the back and taking his hand and placing it underneath her chin. "Guh! Ugh! Bastard!" She shrieked back, moaning as his fingers tightened around her chin and slowly opened her mouth wide. For a moment she feared he was about to crack her jaw but his real intentions came soon after and needless to say it probably wasn't any better. Reaching behind him, he took his rod out, licking the blood off of it and putting it in front of Elrya's face. Widening her eyes, she could see quite clearly the small edge on it, edges minute yet sharp as butcher's knife.

"Wha…?" Just one word that couldn't even be spoken completely, she just felt the cold serrated edge against her mouth, resting gently inside before he gave one brutal jerk. The serrated edge slid across her mouth, splitting the two sides open and filling the air and her mouth with the warm taste of her own crimson blood. In shock, the Diclonius didn't even cry out at first, she just had her split mouth open agape while fresh tears began to spill out.

"Ahhh…" It began like a soft wind, the truth finally hitting her and all the pain that she felt. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" And it hurt! It was terrible and unknowing pain that made her shrill as loud as she could. It may not have been life threatening but it was so painful. Her gums sliced open along with her lips and the edges of her mouth. The agonizing sensation was enough to keep her vectors inert before he whipped around in front of her and grasped her mouth, holding it shut tightly. Unable to scream at all, Vladimir smiled at the poor girls' suffering, bleeding and crying against his hand.

"What will you do…Elrya Alya? Just a single girl, just a single little girl. Do you think it'll just stop that easily, that you can forget it that easily? Once a murderer always a murderer. Kya! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! You want to hear a story Elrya Alya-chan? The little story of the girl who killed her own mother?"

* * *

><p>Even without her Clock Stopper activated, Orlana was still apt enough to fight against both of them. Knowing that Roy with his bullets was more of a threat she kept herself as close to him as possible, preventing him from shooting her in lethal spots without the threat of hitting himself or Vorono. Worse Roy had taken the most damage from the battle and it was now starting to show. His legs and body sagged and his right eye clenched tightly as his vision went in and out. "C-Crap…can't…even concentrate…" And then to make matters worse, when Vorono was getting to close with his blows, Orlana brought out something.<p>

"No…" Roy started.

"…Way!" The Tank concluded as another almost exact replica of the silver watch passed by Roy's eyes and then fell to the floor gasping with her sword stuck into the same wound that she had stabbed him in before. Of course he hadn't seen it coming, he knew the moment he had seen the gleam of silver he was in something bad was going to happen. He didn't need to be told that he had been put into another illusion.

"Kuh! How? I broke the watch!"

"Of course…" Orlana stated matter of fact like, holding the silver watch up and letting it dangle. "I told you that without the silver coin I can only manipulate the mind of a single person. I have more than just one of these watches after all which is good when I'm facing multiple people like you and Bando or Vorono. It also means that because of the illusions, you can't counterattack quickly enough until it's too late.

But enough you two, I can't stand to play along anymore. Forgive me my comrades but I have to end it now."

The other two members tensed up, unable to tell what is real and what isn't just as before.

*TIK* *TIK *TIK *TIK

A fast sound of something grinding against another, another one of her powers, not even she wasn't sure what that sound was. Then it hit her, the sound grinding against her ears was close and it became louder and louder until it became a booming sound to deafen ears.

The missile…was now launching.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: The battle continues and to make matters worst for Elrya Alya, the dark man of eternal suffering Vladimir Cents has now joined the fray. Yet the girl can't seem to bring herself to attack lethally, desperate to keep her promise intact and is made sport of by the twisted man and now is about to be told something she'd rather never here. Meanwhile the missile has begun it's launch and has to be stopped at all cost. With lives on the line, can our heroes stop the destruction of humanity?<p>

Second Note: Vash and Legato are characters from manga/anime Trigun.


	34. Countdown To Zero

**Chapter 34: Countdown To Zero**

"**T-minus one minute and counting…59…58…"**

"The missile, it's launching…" Orlana said softly, turning on spot and racing off towards the smoking weapon. Roy with wounds new and old now open couldn't even find the energy to stand up and collapsed against one of the walls. Already half blind in one eye and the other quickly going blank as well, Roy couldn't help but mutter in a bittersweet voice. "From trying to kill each other and now we both want to stop this freaking thing. Serious we are one messed up group…" Then unable to keep his concentration up anymore, his bullets clattered to the ground before his head hit the ground roughly. It's been too rough even on a trained assassin like him and with his body already suffering from old wounds obviously wasn't going to stand much longer.

Face hardly discernable from the bloody smear given to him by the top soldier, the disgusting little man could think straight enough to know that the missile was finally launching. Thus, despite being on the receiving end of a beating the grin of victory appeared on his face. Now it didn't matter if he got beaten although he certainly planned on making this bastard pay thrice over for all the pain he gave him. The unknown man struggled back on his feet, slipping back a bit yet raising his hands to the sky as if praising God himself. "Heh! Heh! Heh! Heh!" his laughter, perhaps due to the blood gurgling in his mouth made it sound choking and pained but it was certainly happy. "Too late…mother fucker…" He whispered, spitting on the ground.

"Shit!" Bando's curse doesn't have to be said by him alone to be felt by everyone. He's heard enough to know exactly what's going to happen with that missile as does Vorono and they know that nothing good will ever come out of it. The problem however does not lie in the ability to stop it but the inability to understand the situation. Neither Bando nor Vorono know that Orlana's intentions are to actually stop the weapon from firing. Therefore they are left to believe that it is quite possible she is trying to do something to continue it. The next problem that lies in the fact that they do not understand the situation is that the blacked hatted man believes the exact opposite. He believes and correctly deciphers that Orlana is trying to impede on the mission and thus is the first person to attack.

He's already placed the poisoned spiked ball in his contraption, lifting it up and firing it. Orlana, whose expertise in hand to hand combat is astounding, such an attack would've been handled fruitlessly and without fault, but that could not be said for such a case as now. Her attention, directed at stopping the weapon is no longer focused against an enemy, especially one of whom in direct combat she is vastly superior towards. She admits to herself as the ball slams into her lower back, driving into the ground, that she had sourly misjudged the situation. She had not prepared for a surprise attack by a man whose cowardly actions impeded on her idea of a true fight. Perhaps the intensity of the moment had caused her to forget her safety but it could only be said that in a moment of carelessness and cowardly actions, Orlana had finally been struck.

!

She didn't scream though her voice did muffle as the cursed ball struck her insides and filled it with the neurotoxins. Unlike the soldier Bando, she has no way of removing it physically. She has no metallic hands to grip the ball and even if she did, the angle of which it is imbedded in her back makes it impossible for her to even get a good grip on it in the first place. The whites of her eyes show out in split intervals signifying her strain in keeping her consciousness in check from the overwhelming pain while it becomes clear just how dangerous the situation has become.

"…**33…32…31…"**

Due to the surprising nature of the attack and the inability to understand the situation fully, the others have let too much time pass by. It is only after this increase delay in valuable time that the others have realized that Orlana, although enemies with them on one point is an ally on this point. Vorono is the first person to realize it and realize that Orlana had not been rushing to the missile to continue its run but to stop it. Unfortunately it would seem that perhaps other than the unknown man, whom certainly had no intention of stopping it, Orlana was the only person who knew how to make it stop.

"Orlana! Snap out of it! How do I stop it!" Vorono roared, racing towards it as time is no longer on their side. It has to be finished now, quickly stopped before destruction takes away everything. Yet Orlana though she can hear his voice is unable to speak and move her body. "Ugh…Guh…thra….the…" She's trying, desperately to tell him the code but agony overrides her ability to speak clearly and she can't even lift her hands up to give the numbers by finger.

"**21…20…19…"**

The man in the dark hat continues to laugh despite bleeding on the ground by Bando's punch. There's no need to worry anymore, the plan will go without a hitch. "You lost fuckers! Lost!" This unfortunately seemed true enough. A careless mistake may now cost them humanities future and the wicked man was chuckling as deeply as his blood filled throat would allow. Orlana jerked rapidly, laying on all fours and coughing hectically while trying to regain her concentration. "I'm surprised whore…" He growled. "…You haven't screamed once…not bad…Ha! Ha! Ha!"

*BAM!*

Bando could only take so much and stomped his foot against his face knocking him back to the floor and pulling out his magnum. Yet a split second thought came to him, and instead of putting a well-deserved bullet in the man's head, he instead turned around and ran to the fallen woman who had nearly tried to kill him. She may have pissed him off but she seemed to be the only one who could actually stop the missile. It wouldn't stop the poison that had already leaked into her body but it would at least keep from more poison going into her body. He gripped the ball in his mechanical hand, tightening around it and ripped it forcibly out along with a good chunk of her own flesh.

"**..12…11…10…"**

"NOT ENOUGH TIME BASTASRDS!" Although he roared in triumph, the twisted man couldn't help but feel some fear at the moment, partially expecting them to succeed.

"Come on woman! Snap out of it!" Bando roared gazing up at Vorono who was already at the control panel, fingers ready to press the numbers.

"…**6…5…4…"**

"3 1 5 1 2 9 8!" She shrieked the numbers out as quickly as she could in single burst of air and gasped while the world suddenly went silent for the final words to be heard.

"…**2…1…" **And then the computerized voice suddenly died down. The smoke from the engines of the weapon while smoking had stopped churning as Vorono his finger sliding down from the number 8, wiped the bead of sweat off of his face. Left staring blankly, the twisted man could only look with his mouth agape at what had occurred.

"You…fucking…little…bitches and bastards…" He said slowly, trying to rise up from the ground although his dark demeanor didn't have much of an effect on those highly more skilled and stronger than him. "Guess we can chalk up one for the humans huh freak show?" Bando growled with a heinous smile, taking his weapon out and pointing it directly at the bastard's forehead. "Don't think you'll be getting out of this one alive ya sick bastard!" But Bando didn't shoot, but it had nothing to do with a conflicting emotion. Bando had ceased to fire because something else had caught his attention. The low rumbling of something big and it became apparent that the missile…was starting back up again.

"Oh shit!" The soldier roared aloud.

Orlana who was suffering under too much poison could barely lift her head yet the stench of fresh smoke and gas now wafted into her nose. "Impossible…"

"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Laughing jubilantly, the unknown man clutched his gut and pointed at them. "Looks like Kakuzawa had some back up measures, now it's truly over you fools!"

* * *

><p>Oh crap! Even after all they went through the missile is still going to launch! Can anything stop it? The second arc of Pintpoint:Lifeline is reaching it's final conclusion.<p> 


	35. Cries Of Sorrow

**Chapter 35: Cries Of Sorrow**

In a fight such as this, Garder F. Morotisan holds a distinctive advantage in skills against Mariko whom as a child only knows how to attack indiscriminately and without thought. In such a situation, the moment he can close the distance against her, no matter how many arms she might have, he can kill her. His own disadvantage was the vast distance that Mariko was able to separate herself from with her vectors, which due to her strife had increased in both length and size from the already vast length that it was before. In most cases it would've been wiser to keep away from that distance and just let time run out for the girl's bomb.

The second disadvantage was stamina. Since he always faced opponents with a small number of vectors, it was very easy to get by their defenses and take them down. The moment he could break the distance and get in close, he could effectively win the match. For some like Mariko, the same principal was much harder said than done.

At normal, the girl holds 50 vectors. He can take on an opponent with 15 at his maximum; once it goes beyond that he has to exert more from his body. It would've been more than troublesome had he fought the girl using half of her normal potential and at 50, he had to rely on his maximum skill level that he learned as a soldier. Due to the emotional and physical strife that the girl was going through, her arms had increased to an astounding 70 and ripped across the land scape at him.

Due to his age, his stamina can't last as long and he will eventually tire out. Adding to the fact that he has no idea how long it'll take for her bomb to go off, he is left with but two options. He can remain at a distance, watching her movements and hoping that time will run out as she simultaneously destroys the entire city around her and quite possibly more. He can't tell for certain but the girl who remains in the center of a crater filled Armageddon has begun to sag a bit and her face darkened. The arms tear through the street, taking lives again and again of those who have the unfortunate part of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Men, women and children are slaughter for no better purpose of just being in the way. In most cases, it would be better to wait and let time pass but in 10 minutes, the entire city would be reduced to rubble by a single girl who isn't even actively trying to attack it, just the mere side effect of her own powers going out of control.

70 vectors, each one traversing normality and reaching a vast length of 50 meters and quite possibly growing. Garder falls back, leaning forward and pressing his palm against the warm concrete road while locking his sights on the girl in front of him. She's already striking at him; the number doesn't need to be counted only the location and the strike. Through perfection of skills learned from countless war experiences, Garder makes the movement in just one move and thought. Breathing out once, just a single breath of air that is no longer holds a distinctive sound to his ears. He no longer hears anything, the cries of people, the dying, the flames burning around the city, the bellowing alarms, not even the wind churning around Mariko like a storm. He is deaf to all thing but the minutest sounds of increase velocity that come his way. He doesn't even see anymore, he has left himself blind and relies entirely on his ability to hear the faintest traces of Mariko's vectors as they come within 10 meters of him. Once they do, he can recognize their pattern and movement and dodged accordingly.

The ability to realize and make direct advantages to his locations by understanding vibrations in the air. The power to recognize the wind pressure as to know where bullets have headed and will be heading. To utilize the formation of concentration to the absolute degree. The power of attaining the body and mind of one who skills have allowed him to transcend to a point of impossibility.

Thus is the power of the original member designated with the number zero.

Zero Cents Garder Ferajhan Morotisan, The Perfect Soldier.

Garder rushes at an angle, dodging the swarms of hands that race to rip him to pieces without a second thought. His feet, unheard by himself, tap rapidly against the ground as his blood flows wildly through his body. He swerves, ducks, avoids and holds his absolute concentration in figuring out the pattern of movements and making point decisions on how to avoid it. At first it is easier to dodge when the distance is great but the moment he crossed into the path of closer meters, he now faced another problem. Vectors now came at him in greater and thicker amounts. Such an indication of stress came when he heard the rushing wind as if a tidal wave was coming in front to smother him. It might have been 20, 30 or even 40 arms that merged together to form a shapeless invisible wave. It is impossible to dodge it, he does not have the speed to avoid it, he can go neither right or left or back.

*BOOM!*

Yet he's countered already and the explosion blows the hands apart, leaving a vast opening of which, after a split second of figuring out Mariko's location, races through it and towards the killer Diclonius. He has 5 grenades left and it took 3 for the blast to repel the vectors. His body slowly but surely begins to falter ever so much. His breathing already strained comes out in silent bursts and at irregular intervals. Veins and capillaries feel as if they will burst and yet remain almost nonexistent to his mind.

30 meters, he enters the maelstrom and at point there is no turning back. Either two things will happen. He will reach the target and end her life with one swift movement without hesitation. Or he will run out of stamina and bee ripped apart into unrecognizable chunks by the power of the mad child. Therefore, his grenades must only be used at the most critical of times.

*SSSHHHHH*

More are coming, from the right, from the left, from in front and from behind. It becomes clear almost instantly to him that the girl is attempting to wrap her hands around him like a dome to crush him. They'll reach him in 2.5 seconds.

"…Frontal left…weak…" He doesn't actually think it, it would've been too late had he though the action. He merely lets the quickest part of his mind register it and lets his body react on instinct. The moment the grenades are throw, he moves towards it and dashes out of the arms which explode from the force. By utilizing his ability to hear distinctive sounds and vibrations, he was able to figure that the dome had a weak spot in it and was able to exploit it.

20 meters

*SLASH!*

His body has now hit its limit and is starting to weaken. The first hand manages to slice through his shoulder, tearing off a bit of flesh but of which he ignores. He can't be bothered to be disturbed unnecessary pain. How fast is his heart beating? How long will his body last? He is forced to head towards her at angles; a frontal run poses too much danger which of course means there is less time for her to reach the girl.

*SLASH!*

The pain in his leg as usual does no register but it does slow him down.

10 meters

*SLASH!*

His face, arms, legs, shoulders thighs, every part of him is slashes and torn so that the air around him is suddenly sprayed with a shower of his blood. The vicious child screams, letting out a wail he does not see and releases everything at him. He is at the total of 5 meters, too close! Yet he is weakened, his stamina now falling and thus unable to dodge.

*BOOM!*

He throws the last ones forward, blowing them apart as the other hands tear across his side but are unable to land the finishing blow.

4 meters

3 meters

2 meters

1 meter

Using the last burst of his speed and stamina, he makes his one move and ends the fight. The world burst into sounds and sights as Garder plunges his hand into the small girl's chest, her soft moan of surprise filling his ears before he twists and with one single movement, rips her heart out from her delicate body. The wind finally dies down along with vectors and the girl who stumbles on her feet and puts a hand to the hole in her chest. Tears begin to run down her face, wetting her cheeks and dropping down her chin though it has nothing to do with pain or the fact that she will die. She accepted that long ago but she is crying because she is sad.

* * *

><p>"Mariko! Mariko!"<p>

Her ears perk up as her father; Kurama rushes over and is mortified by what he sees. He knows that what Garder did was needed but his own daughter, with a hole in her chest and lying on her knees breaks him apart. She will die and there is nothing he can do about it but perhaps now, that she is wounded and unable to attack, he can finally make some amends.

"Get away from me…" Mariko whispered with as much sound as her dying voice could muster.

Kurama feeling his own heart sting as if it too had been ripped out remains motionless and after only a second though, he made his decision. Garder, who as too busy resting on the ground with his knee raised and his breath coming in painful gasps, cared little for the man. He merely moved his eyes to watch out of the corner as Kurama took his daughter, and embraced her in loving hug. It wouldn't be enough for her, she wasn't going to let him get away that easily just by hugging her. It was too late.

Nothing he could say would ever make a difference to her. He could express how much he loved her and it would never matter. Yet he is crying, holding her and crying and her dying mind is confused by it. He betrayed her, let her live in that horrible place for all of her life so why is he crying? Even she, with the mind of a child, know those tears are sympathetic and it only confuses her more.

"It's…warm…" She though as Kurama hugs her even more. The pain in her body has suddenly died down and her body feels light as a feather.

"Father is…hugging me…" She barely whispered the word and yet Kurama answers anyways.

" Y-Yeah…" It's an unnecessary answer.

Nothing he will do will ever change things completely but for the first and only time just as death passes over her, Mariko believes, perhaps only for a small amount, perhaps just the tiniest percent…

…That her father truly did love her.

The spectacle man doesn't have much time to sob or grieve as two minute later Garder's rough hand has grasped the back of his shirt and thrown him back, stepping away himself and raising his arm to his face. It happens in an instant, the dead girl that Kurama is looking at explodes in haze of smoke, her disembodied hand flying past his mortified face and is the only thing left of Kurama Mariko.

* * *

><p>Elrya, pinned to the ground by Vladimir at first glares at him hatefully and then surprisingly starts laughing. "You could have told any lie to me, any at all and I might have believed it. Seriously though, killing my own mother? You could have done better than that."<p>

"Oh? You think I'm lying? I very well could be Elrya Alya-chan, I am after all the master of deceit. So tell me, what happened to your mother?"

!

What did happen to her mother? She loved her mother that was true and she could remember being taken care of. Yet it was true, her mother had at some point died and she had no idea how it had happened, most of her memories had been cut off at that point. Still she tried to remain defiant. "My mother died a long time ago from some complication…UGH!" She turned her head away in disgust as spit hit it from Vladimir's chaotic laughing.

"Kyahahahaha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! How amusing you dreaming girl. She certainly died by complications, if having hands ripping her to pieces counts as complication.

"I didn't kill my mother, I know that for a fact!" She roared.

Vladimir clasped his hands together, cracking his knuckles. "I guess in a sense…you are right. You yourself Elrya did not kill your mother. This conversation instead should be had with your alternate personality Alya."

!

Now Alya was left in shock before angrily retorting. "Liar! I did no such thing!"

"Determined not to believe…how quaint." The wicked man said simply, shrugging his shoulders in the process before violently kicking Elrya onto her stomach. She spits up more blood from her torn mouth before another rod is inserted into her lower back, not life threatening but enough to keep her from moving. Turning her head to look up at him from the side, she shakes as he appears to pull out a gun and fears that her own life is about to be ended. She's too weak to even move her vectors and her confliction keeps her from even attacking violently in the first place.

*PING!*

"Ah!" It doesn't hurt much but something has struck in the back of her neck like a pin.

"This is a very special little gun that utilizes electronegative impulses. It isn't much as far as a weapon may go but it is useful in these kinds of situations. She hears a click and feels a slight tingle in her spine and her sights become blurry yet she doesn't feel like she's in pain, or rather in any more pain that she was before.

" You…killed…your own…mother." He said simply. She was about scoff at him when her brain suddenly went into overdrive, flashes of bloody images going through her mind. "GUH! UGH!" Moaning, the girl clutched her head and turned away, closing her eyes tightly. "Bastard…what did you…do to me? What are these…images…?"

"By using the impulses of the gun, I can force your memories into the open. Much like a humans, a Diclonius only uses 10% of their actual brain, this gun forces more of it out. So let's try again.

*CLICK*

"_Elrya! Elrya! Please stop this!"_

"AH! Stop it! I won't be…I won't be deceived…by these lies!" She cried out yet her mind is being broken. How can these be lies if their coming directly from her own thoughts?

*CLICK*

"_Hahahaha! This is so much fun!"_

"Alya?" Elrya cried out, hearing her own voice and the laughter that issued from it. It's becoming clearer, her life at that point.

"And now…" Vladimir uttered cruelly. "Let's take it to the final notch."

*CLICK*

* * *

><p>"M-Mother…?"<p>

As if watching a discolored video, Elrya Alya sees her own mother. Her figure is small and shapely, pretty though not stunning. Her hair, while black is set into the same curves as her daughter whom is looking happily at her. "Is that…me?" She asked herself, seeing the small 5 year old girl, her pink hair strung amongst her head. She's wearing a small beanie on her head, thus hiding her horns. They're playing, laughing jovially and they seem to be having such a good time and yet…the real Elrya Alya can sense something that is bad. The child's laughter is happy but it seems different.

"No…" Alya speaks first, shaking her head and wanting to look away but one cannot look away from a memory.

"What's wrong…?" Elrya mumbled but of which the memory is deeply engraved in, Alya is left mumbling. "I-I didn't mean to do it. I didn't know any better! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"What are you talking about Alya? You didn't do…"

*SLICE*  
>"…any…thing…" It happened so suddenly and casually it was like taking a single step forward. Her mother's arms are suddenly gone, just bleeding stumps soak the floor with crimson. The child, young Elrya Alya is smiling at her mother both curiously malevolently. Alya continues to scream beside herself.<p>

"No! I'm sorry mother! I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it! I'm sorry Elrya! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No!" The word is repeated again and again and again without stop and it becomes clear what this memory is. It is the first time her instinctive nature has come up and her mother is the first of her victims. How can she be laughing like that? How can she take enjoyment out of her hurting her mother like that? She notices that someone else has come in yet the figure and voice are all blurred by her laughing sight.

*SLASH!* *SLASH!* *SLASH!*

"NO! STOP IT!" The girl screams and clutches her face, clawing at her own eyes and crying. "I don't want this! I don't want to see this! Lies! Lies! Lies!" But they aren't lies; even Vladimir can't do something like this. All of it is the truth, the deepest and most foreboding truth.

And thus…she screams.

Screams loudly.

Screams without pause.

Screams shrilly…before her voice chokes and dies down. At last her mind snaps from the revelation and for the second time, Vladimir has her completely and totally beaten not just physically but mentally as well.

"Do you understand now, Elrya Alya? In this world things like hope and dreams do not exist, they are merely fragments of pathetic desires of those that cannot make them happen. You are a dreaming saint who relies on believing the impossible.

At some point you'll have to wake up from your silly little dream…"

* * *

><p>*CLAMP!*<p>

Vladimir with the suddenness of a strike clamped his teeth around the very tip of a small dart while his chaotic eyes gazed up at the shaking body of Miriana. "Not too shabby little girl..." He mumbled heinously snapping the tip of the dart off and hearing it fall with a tiny thud b his feet. He casually stomped it out, smiling sinisterly at the shaking girl whom in an act of fear fired another dart at the man. It proved no more useful than the first. His hand sprung out and grabbed it, holding it tightly before crushing it almost lazily.

"Tranquilizers, heh, how quaint." The dark man said callously as Miriana though knowing she was too weak to do anything wanted to protect her one and perhaps only friend. "What an angelic little desire you have girl. You dislike killing?"

"K-Killing is wrong!" She didn't want to reply but she found her voice answering despite herself.

"Wrong? What's wrong about it?"

"You should know! It's…it's just…you know…" But she couldn't answer. Instead she fired another shot, and another of which either Vlad discreetly avoided or just plainly caught in his hands and crushing them before he stood in front of her, his massive figure casting a shadow over her tiny figure. "I won't let you…h-hurt my friend…a-anymore." While she tried to act brave in truth she was absolutely afraid of this man and her voice shaking was evidence as such. Of course what else could she do to a man who had ruined her friend, one whom was much stronger and braver than herself?

She didn't regret leaving Yin's side but she was definitely scared now. Quivering as he put his hand on her head, Vladimir lightly ruffled her hair. He bent down head level to her, grinning at her tear filled eyes and lightly removed the gun from her hands. "For a person…who dislikes killing…guns aren't for you." His voice is barely above a whisper and that only makes it more frightening.

*BAM!*

Air and consciousness leaves her frail body as Vladimir smashes his elbow against her gut, breaking some of her ribs. She's already fallen to the floor and her mind is blank with blood leaving her mouth. "Heh…poor little Miriana." Casually stepping over her body he returns back to Elrya and sits down cross legged next to her.

"You can hear me right Diclonius? Of course you can, though your mind might be shattered it hasn't shattered completely. I won't kill you yet, though the next time we meet will definitely be our last encounter.

Miriana…what a sweet little child isn't she? Don't worry I have no intentions of killing her yet."

"Bastard…" She finally has enough sense to whisper threateningly. She isn't going to believe his lies at all! If there was ever a time she couldn't believe it, it had to be now. He who threatened to kill them all would certainly kill her best friend.

"Bastard! Don't go near her! Bastard! Bastard! B-Bastard!" Her yells turn to sob as Vladimir casually picks Miriana up by the arm and casually swings her over his shoulder like a knapsack. Mind and body broken, she can only cry as Vladimir sadistically grins at her and walks away with her friend draped over his shoulder.

"I have broken your body and broken your mind but I have yet to break your spirits Elrya Alya. I hope our final encounter is a good one. Until then, rest up…bye."

"Bastard! Please! Please! I'm sorry!" She's actually begging him to stop now. She's abandoning her pride for the sake of her friend. "Bastard! You sick fucking bastard! Bastard! Bastard! Let her go! Let her go!

BASTARD!"

* * *

><p>The end of chapter 35 as well as #35. After a brutal struggle that has torn apart the city, Mariko has died and yet things have only gotten the worse. The missile is still about to fire and Vladimir has take Miriana. What will happen next in "Pinpoint: Lifeline"<p> 


	36. The Tank

**Chapter 36: The Tank**

The ground and the air rumbled loudly as smoke and fire filled the nostrils of everybody in the vicinity. For someone who was so arrogant as to claim himself a god, they had greatly underestimated Director Kakuzawa. They had never thought that he planned ahead to where the missile would launch despite having the code put in it. He had prepared not only a man to stop them from having it launched; he had gone even further to insure that nothing stopped it.

Vorono Girikuson reached inside his pocket and pulled out a secondary silver coin, placing it inside of his mouth and biting on it. Though unknown until now as he would soon show, he had two separate coins that signified his codename as "The Tank." Two coins, of which could be used together he had, in the wisest decision decided only to use one of them to combat Orlana. He had already used the first silver coin, The Coin of Endurance which granted him albeit very temporarily, vast physical endurance that made his body as of a tank.

His teeth now were currently biting on the second coin, The Coin of Strength.

Vorono's breath came out in a deep rattle as his veins seemed to pop out of his skin and his face reddened immensely. Like rolling thunder, his roar grew louder and louder in pitch until it was thunderstorm of incredible power. His hands grasped the metal sheen of the soon to launch weapon and gripped, his fingers digging into the metallic skin and holding it tightly. Sweat poured form his body as his body did what it should not, utilizing amazing power to hold the missile down. "You bastard!" They had come to close to fail now and the cowardly man in black wasn't going to let it end that quickly. He put another ball in, pulled his weapon up and fired once.

There was no way to avoid it, not without letting go of the weapon which shook under his strength. The first ball smashed into his lower back filling his body with the deadly poison. It leaked inside of his veins, burning his arteries and shattering his bones. Yet, with his teeth grinding his fingers only tightened more and more. Bando quickly turned around and smashed his foot against the man's nose, breaking it more than once in their fight and yet even the wicked being seemed to pay no attention to Bando's antics. With an almost crazed look in his soulless eyes, he fired off another shot at Vorono's back.

"GUH!" A single shot was enough to down a single person; Vorono had now taken two shots from the deadly weapon. His knees buckled, falling to the concrete slabs of road and his left arm jerked back from the spasm of pain. Yet, even as his mind and body roared in agony that would have killed most people he used all of his remaining strength to tear through the metallic creation, holding it down so that it was at a wide angle, the flames burning across the ground and scorching his body greatly. The flames licked his skin, burning and melting his flesh and yet he only gripped it tighter, moaning loudly into the roars of the erupting missile.

"FOOL! THIS ISN'T WORTH GETTING YOURSELF KILLED OVER!" Bando roared before a single shot fired at his leg, a bullet that sent him downwards and sprawled on his back. "Damn it! Bastard!" Yet the unknown man's face wasn't even facing the soldier, instead it still held that insane look while facing the back of Vorono. This meant that he been shot from somebody else. "Shit!" Cursing loudly, he pulled his gun around, looking for the enemy.

"SLISH!"

"Gyah!" The gun fell from his hand as it was pierced straight through by a strange black rod, a few inches thick with enough speed and strength to pin his arm to the concrete ground.

"VLADIMIR!" Orlana roared, knowing the weapon of her leader. Vorono, too busy dealing with the problem at hand hears her though. "Vladimir? Vladimir Cents? What's he doing here!"

"Vladimir! What you doing?" Orlana yelled at her, her screech almost surprising given her stoic nature. The man in the onyx coat gave her a questioning look almost of confusion as the smoke blew his mismatched blonde hair around. Then his mouth broke into the biggest grin of them all, his teeth shining decently outward as one eye rose, starring widely at the woman. Without warning, he broke out into a chorus of hellish laughter, leaning back as his tears of joy wept from his eyes. Raising his left hand, he flicked it and as if appearing their magically, thin rods of black appeared between his fingers.

She could tell his intention before he did it and with the spiked iron ball out of her body, her physique no longer suffered. Yet it still pained her to move her legs, to utilize her body when the poison, while lessened still coursed through her body.

*SLASH!* *SLISH!* *SLASH!* *SLISH!*

"YOU IDIOT!" Bando roared in outrage and in shock as the woman ran in front of him, her face set into tone of absolute seriousness as her body was riddled with the sudden force of the rods. The first one struck through her back, going through her right breast, the second one existed out of her left shoulder, the third found its mark through upper thigh and the last straight into her abdomen. She stumbled, arms raised defensively in front of the shocked soldier and who couldn't believe the woman was doing something so stupid.

"KYA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! EXCELLENT" The man roared aloud, his voice echoing even beyond the missile. His arms raised, fingers outstretched, a new pair of rods suddenly grew between his fingertips. Created by small orbs that elongated into sharpened point, he chucked them, grew more and chucked them again with inhuman strength as impalement rain down. They struck her body, rupturing her flesh and throwing her to her knees as she ground her teeth and swung one of her blades at the sadistic man, its target never hit as it was knocked away by the sheer rain of rods. Struck again and again, slicing into her flesh, impaling her over and over again. She wonders for half a moment if he's refused to hit her brain and given her a quick death in this betrayal of his.

Betrayal? She has to secretly chide herself or even thinking this. Vladimir has been true to his word ever since the beginning. He was never on their side in the first place, just on his own side. Creating the ultimate suffering that will last a life time, his desires and greatest goal. This action right now, was just part of that endless suffering he wished to attain.

"Son of a bitch!" Bando grips the rod impaling his hand, straining he rips it out much to Vladimir's curious surprise and whip out one of the other many guns that he has in his coat, aiming and firing three shots. Vladimir jerked back, the first shot to the leg, the second to his upper abdomen and the last on strikes through his neck, just missing the jugular as the man limps over. Though he stood far away, the soldier can see that along with the bullet wounds, Vladimir's body is covered with wounds and blood that drip from his body in small puddle by his feet. Head bowed low as to hide his face under the confines of thick frontal hair; he seemingly emits a dark aura of chaotic energy.

The gun is already up, this time directly at the forehead. A shot to the head should at the very least put this bastard out of commission. Vladimir, as if sensing the sudden killing intent reacts before the brutal soldier can fire. He races around, behind the impaled Orlana while simultaneously covering his head and his heart.

"Ugh!" Needless to say Bando is getting irked by being impaled in the hand again, straight back on the ground and pinned. As if not to make the same mistake again, Vladimir chucks a third, this time pinning both hands to the ground.

* * *

><p>*CLANK!*<p>

An incredibly strong man would be put to their knees had they been struck by merely one of the poisonous iron spiked balls. Vorono has now been struck by a third poisoned ball, the spikes imbedding itself in his back and side and soaking his very being in nerve racking agony. The only part of his body that didn't go limp was his right hand which in desperation gripped the metallic sheen of the twisted missile. Blood leaks from his mouth as his vision blurs.

Slipping.

He is slipping.

His body is dead inside, from the feet up to his neck and to his left arm as the poison seeps through his right arm. It is only through pure determination that keeps his consciousness alive.

"_What I desire most of all…is to help at least one of those poor souls who are so desperately asking for help."_

He turns his body, the 2 ton weapon churning as his roars hit the sky so high. For a moment, like a splendid dream his body feels light and calm. He'd laugh if he could because he's pretty sure he knows what that feeling is. With a look of incredulous shock plastered on his face, unbelieving that Vorono could last so long, the dark man in black can only watch as missile, a weapon of mass destruction is flung around by this man with but a single arm and half his body dead and launched at an obscene angle. With one resound crashing the weapon slams into the massive portside water, sending foam high into the sky that upon contact with the flames of the missiles engine, sends the world into haze.

Cursing them all, the unknown man has no choice but to escape, taking his twisted body and running off like a coward with the same spiked ball rammed into his bottom. Vladimir meanwhile kept his sights on the foaming water and then smiled almost kindly at the fallen people. "Excellent work, you surpass even my greatest expectations!" It's the only thing he says, just simplistic words of praise that are more like irony than anything else. He walks away, leaving them their weak and dying and heads back to where he dropped off Miriana.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another chapter finished. Through a supreme effort, the missile that was going to be launched has been stopped. (A change obviously from the original manga) Yet our heroes (and even antagonists) have not gone without suffering intense injuries. The last chapter of of the second arc of Pinpoint Lifeline is coming soon.<p>

R&R


	37. Traveling The Long Perilous Road

**Chapter 37: Traveling The Long Perilous Road**

Garder remained sitting, arm propped against his raised knee and breathing in slowly to regain his energy. Most of the outer most parts of his body were ripped as if he be been flayed and his blood loss, while not life threatening, was more than enough to keep him from moving much less doing the incredible stunts he had shown in the fight with Kurama Mariko. The flames and cries of the torn city wafted through his nose and ears, filling him with the realization of what had just happened. A single girl, of only 5 years old had managed to turn Kamakura into a wasteland. Though he had no idea how it would plan out, the actions today would inevitably have to be explained to the public eyes not only in Kamakura but in Japan and outside of it as well. Unless by some miracle video proof did not show up, lies would never work.

In short, by the next 5 hours maximum, the entire world would soon know about the secret of Diclonius. He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there, merely listening to the destructive sound of few small complexes collapsing from broken supports, yet he became aware of something. A figure, twitching and moaning before the sound of something being pulled out sickeningly and the airless gasps that came along with it. Turning his head slightly, his calculating black slit eyes found the cold crimson orbs of Elrya Alya.

Lying on her knees and clutching her wounds, the young girl didn't say anything to him. She made no retort, no come back, no ill-fated remark, she just stared.

…With cold hated murder dripping from her eyes.

By merely looking at each other, a mental battle raged on equal to that of the destruction that had be befallen Kamakura. Black and red glaring without pause, without blinking because doing so would only prove the weakness of the other. Unsteadily, Elrya rose to her feet, stumbled forward and caught her balance, feeling the warmth of the hole inside her body oozing out of her frail body. Yet somehow, even with all of these wounds it became meaningless with this man. On her very birthday she had lost one of her closest friends to a madman.

"Garder…Garder F. Morotisan." She spoke his name with spite, each syllable filled to the brink with hate. The old man didn't reply, he merely keeps his gaze on her. The murderous intent filling her body is getting greater, her hands clenched so tightly that small traces of blood leak out from the palm and trickle down her arm.

*TAP* *TAP* *TAP*

Each footstep brings her closer to him, his body wounded as hers but at least she can stand. No, that isn't correct, she can't stand, her body has been torn apart and ravaged and she'll fall back down in only a few seconds. It is best to just call it luck that she has enough will power to stand up and walk over to the elderly man. At long last she stands before him, she attempts to bring out one of her vectors and yet merely trying to push one out makes her wobble. Garder can already hear the vibrations of the air as it tries to exit out of her back but in his condition, he doesn't have a much of chance against her anyways.

Then before she knows it her body gives out and the Diclonius falls to her knees with soft thud, her breath coming out in ragged gasps. "Are you going to kill me?"

Although it's a question, Garder doesn't ask it as such. It would be better to say that he states a question. That is to say, he is stating a question, not asking it. At this point, with his body too weakened from his previous fight, Elrya may have her only chance at ending his life. But like the old man, she too is weakened from Vladimir's attacks and can barely lift her physical arms.

*Drip*

A small drop of blood leaks again from her wounds.

*Drip*

Another small drop.

"I…killed…my…mother." The horned girl murmurs with a dishearten tone.

"Of course." Garder answers nonchalantly as if stating the obvious.

"..I was...laughing. I was laughing…even while I was…killing her. I remember that my mother would show me love. Yet I was…laughing. Someone else had come in, that person was you, wasn't it?."

Garder doesn't answer.

"…Why? Shouldn't you have helped me? Shouldn't you have done something? Shouldn't you have tried to calm me down and stopped me? At that point, if there was ever a reasonable time to kill me, why didn't you do it now? At the very least you'd have had a good reason. Instead, you let me live for the soul purpose to have me tortured and beaten and then just let others attempt to kill me."

"…"

* * *

><p>"Ooh…Ahhh…haaa…" Waking up from his daze, Yin feels the soft push of hands against his body and the murmurs of voices trying to wake him up. People are crowding around him while he moans and picks himself up in a sitting position, shaking his head and massaging his shoulders. "Miriana…"<p>

That's right.

Elrya had left and then, what could have caused so much destruction? He can smell smoke and fire and the unmistakable scent of death in the air. How could he have been so stupid? Miriana had tried to race off to where all the destruction was happening and when he tried to pull her back…

He put his hand to his neck, feeling the tiniest puncture wound on it. "I can't believe she actually shot me." He moaned before speaking louder. "People! There was a young girl with me with dyed hair. Do you know where she went?"

A young man answers. "Y-Yeah. She ran off that away.." His finger points over. "…But sir, something strange is going on. It's…It's so strange. You should…wait!" Yin gets up, and with after yelling "Thanks!" quickly, he races off to where they told him. Something bad has happened and it isn't the fact that blood is seeping through the air. Something bad has happened as he constantly berates himself for letting Miriana go like that.

* * *

><p>"Agh!" As a doctor he's used to the sight and smell of blood but this? People are torn and ripped apart to the point where some are unrecognizable. It isn't just 10 or even 100. The road, which in and on itself can hardly be called that in the first place, is smothered from end to end with bodies and pieces of bodies. The complexes around him have fallen, torn up by some strange force and scattered around. 23 of Kamakura has been wasted and the last part is in such disarray that it too may fall at any moment. He feels like he's going to lose it, his stomach heaves but he swallows and looks up, breathing through his mouth and keeps going forward.

At last, he comes to the scene and sees her.

"Elrya!" His voice nearly breaks and runs towards her as her body slowly falls forward and with a leap, drags his body across the ground and catches her before she can fall face first. Garder whom until recently has looked at Elrya with disinterest, suddenly gazes curiously at the young man. Yin gently lifts Elrya up and cradles her so that she's leaning back against his arms. "Y-Yin…"

"That's right, I'm here. We'll heal those wounds up right away."

She smiles, loving his compassion and nods. She won't die, although it might take some time for her wounds to heal. If Vladimir wanted to kill her, he would've done so. Her wounds, while painful, wouldn't kill her, Vladimir had made sure of that.

He cradles her head back, relaxing her body but keeping her body popped up. It is then that he notices the elderly man. "Who…Who are you?"

"That's him…" Elrya moaned. "Garder."

!

A brief moment of surprise passes his face, then an ever briefer one of anger until he decides that taking care of Elrya is much more important than having to do anything with Garder, even if he was the one who hurt her before.

"Hm?" Garder's questioning mumble is shared by the others as a new figure arrives, walking with casual steps to the battlefield. For half a second Elrya wonders if Vladimir has returned but the person who comes isn't someone neither she nor Yin have seen before.

"Julius…" The old man replied plainly. The male Diclonius came over, this time without his hat as the fiery wind blows his pink bangs around. He passes a single glance at Elrya and momentarily notices that he can't sense her. Elrya however is nearly astounded by what she sees. It's the first time she's ever seen a male Diclonius and for the most part she (and good bunch of others as well) had always believed that Diclonius were entirely female.

"What about Lucy…" Garder mumbled.

"its fine, she's still stationed at the facility. She will not be going anywhere." Garder nods at the answer, content with it. "W-Wait…" The girl moaned, coughing wildly in the process. "You're also a Diclonius."

"Aye…so to speak." Julius commented, not feeling like going into the whole human/Diclonius speech as he did before.

"Garder…you bastard! Now you're using more of my kind for your sick little games?"

"Don't get the wrong idea." The male Diclonius said strictly, placing his hands in his pockets. "I serve Garder and Vladimir under my own volition. Do not be so arrogant as to put me in the same group as you and your kind."

"Huh?" She was baffled, a Diclonius that sided with Garder, under his own free will? Impossible!

Julius bent down, lifting the director up by his arm pits and keeping him balanced. "You've taken quite a bit of damage yet…" He paused looking around at what was once a bustling city now turned to a nightmare. "…I 'm quite surprised that you managed to last so long. I could feel Number 35's energy even from the facility and tried to come as fast as I could. What happened to Number 35?"

"She's dead. I killed her." Garder replied back plainly. Julius didn't bother to question him anymore. "I have a vehicle ready, I'll take you back to the facility and have you rest up."

"Good."

"Just wait!" Elrya cried out. "Shall I kill her?" The girl tensed up, hearing Julius cold and solemn words.

"…Not now…" His answer is as plain as his voice. Nodding once, Julius helps Garder away, leaving Elrya and Yin alone. He comforts her and finally takes notice of the third man in the vicinity. "K-Kurama!" Sure enough Kurama is standing there, looking at his own hands with a mortified look in his face. The use of his name seems to snap him out of his trance because he jumps and looks around frantically before spotting them. "Oh…It's…you guys."

"You…guh…" Elrya tries to speak but instead only groans. Yin places a soothing hand on her body, silently telling her to relax. "Kurama…have you seen Roy and Bando?"

"…I have…" Kurama said after a moment. "There's a missile silo east of here where Director Kakuzawa was trying to launch a vector filled missile. Since…nothing else has happened I'm hoping they managed to stop it." Yin nods seriously, only imagining what would have happened if such a weapon was launched and shudders. "I'm going to check, Kurama, do you think you can watch Elrya while I'm gone?"

The spectacle man nods once.

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>"Yo. Yo, wake up bastard…I know you ain't kicking the bucket that quickly." Bando growled, nudging Roy's side with tip of his foot. There's a massive hole in his metallic hand and an even bloody one in the flesh and bone hand. There's also a good sized dent in his gut where the spiked ball hit him along with some other minor wounds. Other than that, Bando has suffered the least damage compare to the other three. Groaning, Roy rolls onto his stomach, bites back the short yell as his body aches and uses his knees to pick himself back up.<p>

"Guh!" A hand reaches up, stopping his fall forward and keeps him balanced. "Hey now bastard, don't be falling down after you just got up. It makes you look weak."

"Keh…" The blue haired man snorts darkly at the comment. "…Vorono…Orlana…" He sees them, their bodies far away, lying down without movement. "Did it launch?"

"Nah…they stopped it." The soldier said briskly, almost as if trying to find some sort of reason to hate the two for nearly killing them and yet he can't. Instead of hatred, the only thing the brutal man feels is almost strange sense of pity. "Help me over to them, Vorono first…" Roy uttered.

While he may be a cold hearted soldier, he's not one to just let the last words to comrades go unnoticed. Bando helps the weakened sniper to the first body where he gazes down at the fallen member designated as "The Tank." His back is torn and swollen from the multiple iron balls being slammed into it. With so much poison in him, it was a miracle he managed to keep going even after one of them was shot at him. These balls represent the dark cowardliness of fools who can't fight facing the enemy. It's almost shameful to know that he was killed in such a way. Therefore, even though it would mutilate his back, Bando thought it was more honorable if such disgusting fifth wasn't attached to him.

Roy doesn't mind as Bando carelessly rips out each orb and tossing it to the side. He continues to look down at him, his eyes close, almost peacefully as if knowing that despite death, he managed to avert a serious catastrophe. No, that's the not the look on his face, though his intentions to stop the missile were successful, it's not the reason for his peaceful look. While its true intention may never be known, Roy decides that, at the very least he should make that peaceful look that may be a lie begging for help, into a truth.

"…Bando…could you remove his shirt, and tie it around the edge of my jeans."

The soldier nodded, took off the blue garment and tied it tightly around the man's jean where the soft wind made it flutter. Then after a moment's pause Roy turned around and gazed down on Orlana's fallen body. He doesn't need to ask how she died or who killed her. A burning disgust fills his heart as he thinks of his own leader who did this to her. No, he is not his leader anymore, he is an enemy. Like before, Bando removes the poles sticking into her body, at least offering her a more decent look in death.

"…I know what Vorono's desire was…but what about you Orlana? What point did you have in becoming a killer? Kuh…I don't believe it, I the weakest member of the group, with the lowest rank of 5 am alive and you two are dead. The irony of it is almost laughable. Bando, her Clock Stopper, the broken one, place it around my neck."

The silver chain was draped around his neck, the broken piece tapping against his chest lightly. For a moment he thought he could hear just the tiniest clicks of the watch working but that, as he thought, died away soon after.

"Now what will you do?" The soldier growled, casually picking out a smoke from his pocket and letting the carcinogens waft through the air.

"They will never get to see their desires and so it is my job to make sure those desires are fulfilled anyways. Even if I don't know what they are, I will attempt to fulfill them. We were comrades, with different agenda yes and different points of views, but we are still comrades even against one another. It is only respectable to do so."

"I'm not going to say anything against it, I guess. Oi! Where the hell have you been?"

Yin nodded, ignoring the man's tone as something he was used to hearing anyways and walked over. He first saw Orlana's body, recognizing her from the fight at the restaurant. His eyes traveled to Vorono's corpse before finally settling back on the two men. "Looks like you can use some help Roy."

"Really…" The blue haired man returned sarcastically as Yin got out his supplies and treated the man as best as he could. "What happen to sunshine?"

"Elrya's hurt but not dying, she's with Kurama right now." Yin answered, knowing exactly who Roy was talking about despite the nickname. "Shit…wounded again…I feel like Bando right now."

"Eh? What that's that supposed to mean?" The brutal man said darkly.

"I mean I'm pissed off!" Roy muttered coldly.

"Alright, I'm done…" Yin spoke after doing some minor stitching. "Of course don't move around too much or old wounds will open up."

"Yeah…Yeah…Yeah…"

* * *

><p>Arriving at the spot, Kurama has, to the best of his ability treated Elrya's wounds although she'll still need Yin to look at her properly. However, even her wounds mean absolutely nothing compared to the real trauma that has occurred. They can sense it already, the moment a certain innocent figure is unseen in the group. "Where's Miriana?" Roy mumbled, looking around for a sign of the multi-haired girl. The look on the Diclonius' face could not have been any more dreadful.<p>

"Vladimir took her away."

The shock is apparent.

"He…did what?" Yin moaned now truly hating himself for letting her go like that.

"That's right…" Elrya continued sadly. "He's using her as bait for me to come to him."

"So what do we do?" Yin asked.

"I'm going to save Miriana, that's the only thing I will do right now." The young girl said strictly, her hate for that man burning to the core. "Then I'll come as well." Yin said which only got him a disheartened look from the Diclonius. "No way! I can't let you do that Yin. You know I can't. Besides, this is between me and Vladimir."

"Actually the man's got a point." Roy said, bending his legs to loosen them up a bit. "Once we heal up, it might be best to take our separate ways right now. Vladimir as you said is keeping his eyes locked on you, while I can't guarantee Miriana's health, he won't kill her. At least…not until you arrive. I know that much about him anyways. Bando and I will head off to the first facility that we talked about and…"

"_My greatest desire…is to save the poor souls still crying out so desperately in need of help…"_

"…I need to fill a certain obligation right now. You don't have a problem with that I assume huh Bando?" Roy asked, nodding as the man gave a gruff shrug of his shoulder stating he was content with it. "Besides…" Roy continued. "…A little brat like you isn't going to last very long by yourself."

"Hm! You've got a lot of nerve saying such a thing. That bastard could've at least told me where he was going." The blue haired man sighed, looking up at the sky. "Trust me, you'll find out where he is sooner or later. He may send you on a wild goose hunt but in the end you'll meet. Quite honestly you have no chance against Vladimir Cents but…there's nothing else that can be done about it right now. The only thing I can say for you is to not die."

"Yeah…thanks…" The Diclonius mumbled.

"Kurama! If your place isn't in shambles, we can rest up there again?" Roy called over. "Of course…" The spectacle man replied, still looking at the burned mark on the ground.

"Yo. Your girl is going to need a lot of support on this one Yin, don't let her down."

The young man couldn't help but hide his blush as he heard this. "Oh…so you already know…" Roy shrugged at the answer, clearly not surprised by it at all. "I may be a killer but I was also a husband myself. The age thing might be a bit of an issue but I'm not going to argue about it either. Quite a shame we have to abandon each other just after meeting again. Yo! Sunshine!"

"…"

"That's you girl." Roy exasperated.

"Why am I sunshine?" Elrya muttered.

"Cause you're so bubbly and cute."

Oh if looks could kill, yet it changed once Roy spoke. "The same goes for you, Yin doesn't have any sort of combat training or skills, no offense man. He needs to be there for you in case you get hurt, wait, let me rephrase that, he needs to be there after you've gotten your bones broken to pieces, cause you aren't coming out of that fight without any wounds. Likewise, you need to protect him and most importantly, you two need to take care of each other."

Yin nodded once, his expression collect but serious. "Of course, don't worry Elrya Alya, I won't let anything happen to you."

The girl smiled sweetly, knowing the truth in his words.

"Oh..." Roy said suddenly. "...This might be a bad time, but...happy birthday Elrya Alya."

* * *

><p>Of course he was angry, no he was beyond pissed right now. Hands gripping so tightly his nails threatened to break through his skin and his teeth grinding together. Director Kakuzawa was angry and for good reasons after all. Firstly and most importantly, Lucy, his prize, had not been captured and delivered to him faithfully. She was the ultimate prize, the woman he needed most of all to complete his agenda. Not only that but Number 35 had gone out of control, lost it completely and turned the city into a wasteland. Secondly, and this was just grated on his nerves, that bastard who had come to the facility had lied to him. He hadn't died, he had faked it all and he could see it, watching through the television as the choppers filmed from below, that gleeful little smile on his face and of course…<p>

…The missile had failed. Years of planning, years of trial and error ruined! Oh he could see them alright, watching from the television and through his own personal security cameras. Those bastards who tried to interfere with the launch, including that damn woman! At least Vladimir had done something right when impaling her without concern. He took great notice of Garder's actions, obviously surprised at his skills and abilities. He was willing to let his actions go as Number 35 had already gone wild and needed to be stopped anyways but it was when he saw something else that made him raise his eyebrows.

Pink hair, white horns, red eyes, the definite trait of his perfect species and to top it all off, it was a male. A male Diclonius had appeared and needless to say his heart had nearly stopped. Of course there were males, he was one himself, and yet it was the first time he had ever seen one so…so genuine. It was truly pure, without any sort of inhuman disease dirtying its body. A magnificent specimen and oh, if he was capable of having sex with a queen, with Lucy…yes! Yes! Yes! Suddenly, anger turned to happiness, his eyes widening gleefully at the thought that it had not all been to waste.

And then…it came to him. Yes, his plan had failed, even he and his pride would admit that, but it wasn't a total failure. The people knew, the world knew about his kind's ungodly power and he could use it to submit everyone to his rule. Yes! Yes! Yes! Truly he was a god! Truly!

* * *

><p>*Whoosh*<p>

The sound of doors sliding open as a single figure walked in, leaving a harsh blow of unintended fear to pass through the staff members. Of course, without his hat, and there was no longer any reason to have it on anyways, Julius' appearance was rather shocking for everyone. It might have been a wonder why he didn't wear his hat before, had it just been a foolish misjudgment? Incorrect, surprisingly enough Julius Javel never wore his hat as a way to hide his identity, at least that was never his intention, and it just happened to work that way and served a purpose. Sometimes it's better to just stay low and not make a scene. He wore the hat however, because he wanted to, not because he had to and even he couldn't stand hiding in the shadows forever. He admitted that he had not expected Kakuzawa to find out but it wouldn't matter, he came to his call as Garder rested up at his facility.

"Hm?" The mere motion of his head was enough to send a chill through the spines of woman who scurried against the wall frantically. He paid no mind to her afterwards, and merely walked into the office of the arrogant man who had called him in.

"Kakuzawa…" The Diclonius said plainly, hands in his pockets, not glaring or smiling, but merely looking plainly at the Head Director as he would any other person on the street. The old man's lips curved. "Ah…so it is true…oh?" He took notice of the object on the man's forehead, slightly obscured by his long bangs and shook his head fretfully. "Oh…I see, you have been used."

"Used? Ah, I see, don't get the wrong idea, I am not being used. This object suppresses my powers."

"Suppresses?" Kakuzawa said slowly. "Has Garder not understood his place, suppressing one of the greater ones and using him as a slave? You misunderstood creature…"

"…I believe we are facing an opposition here Kakuzawa. I am neither being used nor slave to anybody. I came this way under my own free will, knowing your intentions but perhaps hoping you had more to offer. There only two people that I work for and that is Garder F. Morotisan and Vladimir Cents, even if the latter is hard to understand."

"Opposition? There is no opposition? You are to obey me as the god of your species without question. I am god, not just any god but the god of all Diclonius. That in turn makes me your god and like all gods you must prostrate yourself before me."

The Diclonius starred and then, almost shockingly he bent low on one knee and sunk into what was unmistakably a deep bow. "…Of course, Kakuzawa-sama. Please forgive my insolent tongue for I have been under the watch of that man. I had forgotten, what it was to see a true Diclonius." He kept his head bow, his body low and his eyes unmoving. Kakuzawa, apparently pleased spoke in a loud and boastful voice. "All is well, I understand your dilemma. Do not worry for I am also a kind god."

"I thank you for your forgiveness oh Lord Of The Diclonius! I give my absolute loyalty to you, Kakuzawa-sama, to be used as you please. Allow me to offer you my services."

"Ka! Ha! Ha! Ha! Excellent! Excellent! You know very well my friend; you are truly an obedient one! Of course…we'll have to make some arrangements, I have to know a bit about you and see if…yes…yes…yes…" The look in his eyes could not have been anymore devilish.

* * *

><p>It had been awhile, since had been stripped naked and thrown into one of the many cells that lined the walls, hearing the cries and moans of his species around him. There were no beds in this facility, just cold ground that they were expected to sleep on and the lowest of food for them to eat.<p>

"Ahhh…"

:"Ugh…Ugh…"

"Ooooh…"

Moans. Nothing but moans of pain around him. He leaned against the wall, uncaring about his nude body and pressed his hand against the edge of his left ear so that the transmitter would turn on. "You owe me big time for this Garder. Not only am I here in a cell without clothes or food, I also had to bow before Kakuzawa. However, as you wish I have entered the facility and have, as far as he knows, Kakuzawa's complete trust."

"Very good Julius." Garder's static voice spoke out from the transmitter. "I apologize for putting you into such a mess."

"Do not worry about it, I am more than capable of going through this job even if it mean humiliating myself. I will keep you up to date on what I know and what I find out."

"Alright, contact me either once a day or whenever something important comes up."

"Aye sir, over and out."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: The end of the chapter as well as the end of the second arc. Poor Miriana has been captured by Vladimir and Elrya along with Yin are going to try to save her. Meanwhile Roy and Bando will continue the original mission of heading to the weaker facility. Julius, under Garder's command has infiltrated and allowed himself to be used by Kakuzawa at his facility to gain information and above all, the world now knows about Diclonius and their destructive capabilities. The third arc is underway, what will happen next time on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p>

R&R


	38. Twisted Line

**Chapter 38: Twisted Line**

Opening his eyes to the sound that can only be heard in a prison consisting of his certain colleague convicts, Julius found the sound of crying an almost annoying vibration. Most of the girls were either huddled on the floor, holding their legs up to their chest, while some stood around, looking either morally depressed or outright furious. The only male Diclonius merely leaned against the wall in a sitting position, knee raised and his arm draped over it almost lazily. His red eyes displayed neither rage, depression nor any emotion other than analytical optioning. He almost seemed to find the door sealed shut more interesting in fact.

"I don't…remember seeing you." Perking his ears to the sound across from him, one of his kinsfolk speaks hesitantly to him. She may have been about 18 years old, straggly bright red hair and a body that might, had it not been so malnourished, looked rather stunning.

"You wouldn't…this is the first time that I've been here."

"Oh…I see." Her voice drops and turns her head with her face reddening. "Is there something wrong?" He doesn't ask it as a question, in fact he can already gather why she's turning her head away.

"It's just…I mean…I've never seen another…one of us…you know…"

"You mean you have never seen a male Diclonius." He replied back simply while the girl nodded slowly. "Then you are correct, you have never seen a male Diclonius before, even now. Horns, arms, hair, eyes, skin. I sense, I touch, I smell, I taste, I hear, I think. I walk, I talk, and I emote. I am myself, as I am born from a human mother and from a human father. Thus…in the end I am still human." His words catch her by surprise, some of it she doesn't even understand linguistically yet she does understand one thing for certain. This man, this horned, pink haired man, who gives off the same signature that she does, has called himself human.

"H-How can you say that! Those bastards put us in here! They took us in here, locked us up, even kill us sometimes! Humans…are…unforgivable!" And spat out the last word with utter disdain. Julius said nothing for a moment, as if her answer was justifiable enough before saying "Do you know…how many humans there are?"

"Huh? Why would I need to know that?" The girl yelled back, clearly not seeing the point of such a question. The young man looked at his hand, his fingers flexing outwards before counting. "1…2…3…4…5…6." Pausing, his red eyes finally turn up to his prison mate and coldly gazing at her. "There are over 6 billion humans that live on this planet right now. That number has been expected to rise to 10 billion in only a matter of years. Tell me now…Diclonius…of the 6 billion plus humans on this planet, they who birthed us, they who created us, they who share are closest blood link. Not one…of the 6 billion plus humans…that live on this planet…care? That every single one…of the 6 billion plus humans that reside on Earth…does not care about you? That all humans…every last one of them…are nothing more than a chaotic self-deluded monster who indulges in murder and rape?

Still your tongue!" Julius broke out, his voice barely above a whisper and yet all the more frightening. His crimson gaze seemed to glow with ominous foreboding before pointing a single finger at the surprised Diclonius girl. "Do not dare compare me to you. Do not dare attempt to justify your beliefs under such a petty idea. There are humans out there, who are indeed, selfish, loathsome and unforgivable. I am one such person after all."

"Th-That doesn't make any sense!"

"Nonsense? It's as clear as I can be, though biologically I am indeed a Diclonius, I am also a human. Born from human flesh, a flesh body, a mind, a soul, all of it is human. I am also a killer, a murderer, not of like you, who as killed in rage, or sorrow or even joy, but as a job.

I am not berating you for having pride as a Diclonius, that is good. You should have pride in what you believe you are but do not be so selfish as to claim yourself above others, or that your life is the most miserable thing and definitely...do not dare try to claim that the fallacy of a few people justifies the fallacy of all of those people."

"But…who do I blame? Are you telling me that this is my entire fault?" She retorted, raising her hand and pointing to one of the thick scars that ran down the side of her hip. "Are you to say that it's my fault I got this scar? Is it my fault? Answer me!"

"Perhaps you aren't responsible for that wound, or the other wounds, or the wounds you may receive." The male Diclonius utter softly, moving his body slightly to get more comfortable. "Who should you blame?"

The girl's anger was enticed once more. "Those damn human of course!"

"Wrong." He didn't yell it, he merely stated simply, raising a single right finger and pointing at her. "If you must blame someone, blame those who are directly responsible for your plight. Blames those who have hurt you, not those who haven't hurt you. Your anger is justified, I understand that, yet you shouldn't let it control you."

The young girl opened her mouth then quickly closed it, mulling things over in her mind. Her fingers clicked hesitatingly together while she gazed at the cold floor. "I…don't want to be hurt anymore, so I should blame those who have hurt me. Yet how do I know other humans won't be the same. If I went out in that world, what's to say all the other humans won't treat me the same?"

Julius thought for a moment before answering. "To be truthful, a lot has happened right now. You and the others may have felt that tremendous energy a day ago. I do not know how things will change but I do know that, truthfully, our kind is not going to be looked at kindly. I admit it, yet by no means does that mean that everyone will hate you. People may call you a freak, a murderous horned demon with no soul destined to burn in hell. Yet, it is your choice if you decide to make them believe that."

"Huh?"

"It means that people may call you a demon, you are the one who will either make that a truth or a lie." At his words the girl, perhaps for the first time in her life, actually thought deeply about what he had said. Every single wound on her burned and ached, reminding her of the intense pain that they had brought on to her. Hearing strange voices in her head, telling to kill humanity, it had all seemed reasonable enough. Yet, now that she thought about it, now that she finally took the time to stop raging and actually think, it did make sense. Could the entire world hate her? Somehow, it did sound excessive but it didn't change her current status at all.

"How did you get in here?"

"I voluntarily allowed myself to be captured as to have inside knowledge on what Director Kakuzawa is doing. At any point if I felt like it, I could escape and leave."

!

"W-Wait! You mean you could…get us all out of here!" Julius kind of wished she had spoken so loud because it instantly got the attentions of others around her. "Is that true! Is that true! You can get us out!"

"Incorrect." And his single declaration stopped them all short. "I said that if 'I' wanted, 'I' could escape and leave. When you are trapped in a situation, there will not always be a time when someone will bail you out. I am no different; I would sooner let you all rot in these cells than help you. You want to escape, you think of a way yourself."

"That's so…!" One began, quickly being cut off by Julius as he starred simply at her. "Cruel? Unforgiving? Learn to defend for yourselves; learn to have some skill of your own. Every single one of you has a set of invisible arms capable passing through anything. It can't pass through something; look for a way to get past it. Children, truly Diclonius are nothing but children who can't think on their own."

His words sent a rushing fury through the group, thoughts of murder running through the minds at this traitor. In fact the only person who didn't look like she was going to kill him was the person he had been speaking to the first time. "Not to change the subject, but what's that on your head?"

"Hm?" He queried, placing his hand on his forehead. "A specialized device that keeps my powers, or vectors if you will, from manifesting. I should also state that this was entirely my choice."

"Why?" She asked, of course wondering why a Diclonius would ever want to do something like that. He didn't answer immediately, instead rising to his feet and leaning casually against the wall. "Biologically I am a Diclonius, but I like to believe I am human. Invisible arms are not something humans have and thus, if I wish to be human, I must act human. It allows me to understand how humans work, what life is like when you don't have these weapons of ours.

Number 0

2nd Cent, The Zero Point

Julius Javel.

You want to escape, find a way out, learn to fend for yourself, and learn to think on your feet."

The young girl sighed, of course never having had such a conversation before. For some time she glanced at everything but the male Diclonius before sighing deeply. "Sheesh, what a conversation. You aren't much help though, seriously…" The girl moaned before speaking again. "Your name, is Julius huh?" She questioned after a moment, tilting her head almost curiously to the side. "I don't…have a name myself, only a number."

"Then why don't you give yourself a name." The male stated.

"G-Give myself one? How?"

"It's rather simple, just think of a name that you like and give it to yourself." Julius said straightly, taking in a short deep breath at the same time. "…Fine then, how does Victoria sound?"

The girl tilted her head to the side, mumbling the name in a whisper. "Victoria…but what about my last name?" Though he didn't show it, mentally even Julius was getting rather irked by the girl's lack of understanding and ability to make her own choices. Yet, it was something he had seen in his facility and thus only sighed uncomfortably. "You decide on that, I can't give you a last name."

Slightly crestfallen, her head instantly perked up and she said, with a rather small smile, "Then I'll be Javel Victoria."

"So you decided, out of all the names you could think of, to take my last name? To be truthful…Victoria…I'd rather you didn't. The last thing you need is to have any sort of relationship with me; in fact, you should forget that I even existed." Yet despite these words, the Diclonius woman seemed determined to make things harder than they should be. "This time you're wrong. I mean…uhhh…" It was easy to tell that she was getting embarrassed, if the reddening of her face meant anything at all. "…Well this is the first time I've actually met a male Diclonius and…" Her face became even redder, bordering on bloody and Victoria, whom before had be talking to Julius directly for a while suddenly found that she couldn't look at him anymore. Julius Javel however had no qualm in looking at a nude woman, especially as he saw it on a daily basis at the facility. He never felt love or lust, just a sense of duty that he carried out each and every day.

"Very well then…" He stated, his voice dropping so low that it almost scared the young woman. "I guess it doesn't really matter what you call yourself. Although I would really appreciate it if you change it, if this is what you want, then so be it. However, just remember that Javel Victoria is only a name. To the people here, you are not Javel Victoria, you are demon, monster and abomination. It is up to you to make sure that your name is recognized." The male Diclonius took in a deep breath, leaning against the wall and sliding down with his arm once again propped over his raised knee. "I would like to rest now…"

She nodded, unspeaking and walked away. Julius Javel, eyes closed tried to go sleep but was cut off by the obnoxious whispering around him.

"Traitor…"

"Coward…"

"Traitor I may be…" He said aloud, his eyes still closed as the heads turned his way. "…But coward I am not."

* * *

><p>*TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK*<p>

Heavy footsteps crunching under the thick grass filled her ears. It was day time yet the cool winds and lack of sunlight told Miriana that it was most likely cloudy outside. Her frail body was leaning against the bark of a tree, the footsteps getting louder and as she shook her head and looking up at the grey skyline. "Wh-Where am I?" She asked, mostly to herself.

"The outskirt of Kyoto I believe…what a nice place, fresh air and grass, it's so natural…"

Miriana paused, sniffing the air and smiling. "It is very nice." She thought happily and then almost at once her happiness shattered like glass falling to the floor. Slowly, with her heart beat thumping wildly she turned her head to the side. It would have been an understatement to say her spine was shivering. Who knows how many times her heart beat skipped. Just looking, into the face of that wicked man.

Vladimir was smiling at her, not darkly, not menacingly, just a simple smile that one might have given a friend. It wasn't monstrous by any means and yet it made small tears fill her eyes. Because she knew what lay beyond that false smile. The wicked man was standing a few meters away, his hands deep inside the pockets of his pants as the wind blow his onyx coat around. Suddenly, it became very apparent that the only person around her was this monster. Vladimir Cents sighed, looking over his shoulder at the sky and taking a big sniff of the air. "Ahhh…what a pleasant scent. It's hidden, as we're so far away from where it happened but…even now I can smell that splendid scent of gore."

*TAK* *TAK* *TAK*

Each footstep made her scurry against the tree pushing against it as he walked towards her. His face seemed to hide behind a shadow, showing only his demonic eyes and twisted smile. He was too close, far too close and they were all alone. He was going to kill her, that was for sure! "No. No. Please…Please!" Miriana begged, holding her arms tightly around her legs as he came to her and bent down so that he was head level with her. Poor Miriana was so scared, her eyes merely dots while her lips quivered endlessly. It certainly didn't help when his hand started reaching for her head and she wished so desperately that the tree behind her would disappear so she could run away.

What would he do?

Would he rip her head right off her neck? The mere though nearly made her gag and she knew quite well that he was more than capable of doing it. It came closer, his fingers outstretched and she clenched her eyes tightly shut. As it touched her, she let out a silent scream poured her tears out and let them run down her face before it became apparent that she was not yet dead. Instead of killing her, Vladimir was instead lightly ruffling her hair with his hand, smiling that same smile as before.

"Ah, it's quite sad when little angels are crying? They say when an angel cries, the world cries as well. Then again…" He muttered, putting a single finger to her eye and taking a drop of her salty tears on it, licking it off. "I do love that taste of absolutely suffering your giving off right now." Suddenly, as if trying to be brave she clenched her eyes tightly, quickly wiping away the tears from her eyes. She couldn't give that dark man such satisfaction. "What do you want from me?" Even she was surprised at her own voice, serious and almost menacing. Even Vladimir seemed stunned because he didn't answer at first. Instead he merely looked at her with slightly wide eyes for a few seconds before giving off that same friendly smile as before. He once again tried to pat her head, yet Miriana smacked it away, yelling viciously at him. "Don't touch me! Don't touch me! What do you want from me!"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" She hated that laugh of his, twisted, dark and without compassion. "I'm using you as a way to bring Elrya Alya over so that we can have our final match. I'm taking you with me and we're heading out of Japan."

"Huh? O-Outside of…Japan? What do you mean?" She asked, her voice trembling.

"We're heading west, to Europe. I'm taking you there." His words didn't seem to register in her mind for a moment, but when they finally did, she screamed shrilly. "No way! I won't do it! I won't come with you! There's no way I'll ever come with someone like you!" She screamed, loudly and as shrilly as she possibly could. Certainly someone would come to save her. "HELP ME! PLEASE SOMEBODY HE…"

*Click*

Stopped, her heartbeat, her breath, her screaming, it all stopped in an instant when she saw the silver pistol press against her forehead tightly. It smile didn't change, he didn't look angry or upset, he just smiled. "Now little angel, let's not get out of control here. Besides, as of this very moment I really have no intentions of killing you, it would kind of beat the whole point of this little adventure. Besides…" Miriana squirmed as he ruffled her hair again, wanting to pull away but too afraid to do so. "…You've been asleep for a whole day, you must hungry."

As much as she wanted to deny it, the moment he mentioned it, her stomach started growling at her. "We're close to a small town, let's get something to eat." How much she wanted to run away, how much she wanted to get away from this monster, this golden haired demon. Yet, the only thing she did was pick herself up and blindly follow the man. "Oh…Miriana dear, I'd like to ask a quick question. Do you know how to drive a boat?"

"N-No…" She said truthfully. Only sighing exasperatedly, Vladimir muttered nonchalantly. "I guess I'll just have to make due with what I find."

* * *

><p>Vladimir's excessive appearance in the small town that they arrived in was quite expected as most men didn't wear such an elaborate get up in the first place. People were walking around them, some ignoring them, some gazing questioningly at them so why did she not scream for help. Just by being in his presence, she felt terrified, unable to even whimper a small syllable of help and then it became even more obvious. It didn't matter even if she did cry for help. It became obvious that if Vladimir wanted, he could just kill them all with but a single move. He was too dangerous, too inhumane, a monster. If she cried for help the only thing she'd be doing risking her own life as well as the life of all those around her. So she was quiet, trembling form head to die but quiet nonetheless. The dark man stopped at a small building while reading the sign. "This should be nice, it looks quite quaint. Come on." It was a medium sized restaurant divided into three sections as the two walked in, sitting at one of the booths, Vladimir made himself as comfortable as he could.<p>

"Run.." The first word in her mind. Just turn and race out, run as fast she could without looking back and all thoughts of that faded when she caught Vladimir's eyes. He wasn't even looking at her threateningly. His face didn't display murder or fear, in fact it looked like he would be more than glad to let her run off. Yet despite this, despite that look, everything in her mind and body told her it was a lie. Instead, she sat at the other end of the booth and clasped her shaking hands together.

"Hello."

"AH!" Yelling out, she apologized to the waitress as they handed she handed them their menus, giving Vladimir a rather startled look. "Anything you'd like to drink Miriana?"

Drink? How could she drink anything? "W-Water…I guess…" Miriana whispered softly.

"And what about you sir?"

"A nice good shot of margarita should be fine I think. I'm in the mood for something classy."

Acknowledging his answer, the waitress left and in a few minutes returned with their drinks. Ready to order, Vladimir ordered himself fish while Miriana starred at her menu. "Is something wrong dear?" The waitress asked kindly. "You're sweating…"

"N-No…I'm fine, seriously." Miriana mumbled.

"Don't worry dear, order whatever you want." Vladimir uttered. "Uhhh…th-this…" She said, pointing at the word. While they waited, she watched sickeningly as Vladimir took one of his rods out of his left shoulder, pulling it out slowly so that she could see the blood dripping from it. What was he going to do? What was he going to do to her? But the only thing he did was slam into the floor beside him, sticking it up right and doing nothing else. When their meal finally came, the waitress starred at the object in the ground. "E-Excuse me sir, what is that?"

"Just a rod my dear, hold no meaning to it…"

"I'm sorry sir, but…you're can't just…"

And suddenly, the waitress looked as if she had seen a ghost. Vladimir's hand slightly ruffling her hair as he had done with Miriana. "Just a road my dear…" He whispered darkly, his wicked eyes burying into the young woman's own. "…Hold no meaning to it." Just words, mere words to frighten her as she bowed her head, apologized and raced off. Vladimir ate normally, politely and without a care in the world. Miriana however couldn't even eat, her eyes traveling up to his bloody shoulder, the red stream dripping down.

"Have you heard about what happened in Kamakura?" An old man said to his friend, getting Miriana's attention. She listened diligently as they conversed with one another. "Ya. The entire city has been completely ruined, they've already sent help over there but you won't believe what caused it. They say some strange girl with horns just…well…started destroying everything."

"You're crazy man, how could a girl do that?"

"That's the crazy part about it." His friend whispered urgently. "She wasn't using guns, or bombs or anything like that. Everything around her just…started get torn up, people included. They say you can still smell the blood even from here. It's crazy I know but…man I saw the freaking video. It was awful."

"Mariko sure did a number didn't she…" Vladimir said, taking a small bite of his meal. Miriana looked up at him, wondering what he was talking about. "Kurama Mariko, Kurama's own daughter was sent out to find and capture Lucy, but instead she went wild and started to destroy Kamakura city. Thanks to The Perfect Soldier, she was finally killed. Though I can't say for certain, I'm feeling quite positive that in the next few days, the word 'Diclonius' is going to become quite relevant. You should eat more also…"

Miriana had only taken a few bites of her food and starred at her plate. "I-I'm not…really that hungry…anymore."

"Nonsense!" Vlad roared joyfully, taking his fork and slamming it into her food, lifting it up to her face. "Go on…open your mouth for the choo choo train. Choo! Choo!" And his childish antics did nothing to calm her anxiety. "Go on, open your mouth little angel and take a bite."

The girl shook her head. "N-No…I'm fine, I don't really…"

"Eat…or I'll shove it and the fork down your throat."

!

Gasping, she swallowed and opened her mouth up as Vladimir calmly put the food in her mouth. "Now eat and swallow." She obliged, tears running down her face as she ate what was otherwise a very good meal. She finally ate, fearing for her life, she ate almost frantically, stuffing food in her mouth and only slowing down when Vladimir told her to do so. When it was time to leave, her rapidly beating heart went into overdrive. There was no way he was going to pay for the meal, he was too much of a monster. He would refuse and then…she didn't even want to imagine the horrors he was about to cause. Yet, he pulled a wallet from his pocket and actually paid for both their meals, even bidding farewell to the manager. Never before had dinner been so frightening.

"O-Oh…that thing…" The young girl mumbled, pointing to Vladimir's shoulder. "You left it in the restaurant."

"I know…" Vlad said with a cold smile, looking over his shoulder.

"Do you…want to go get it?"

"There's no need…" He said raising his hand and saying but one cryptic word. "…Detonate."

* * *

><p>*BOOM!*<p>

Miriana was flung forward by the explosion behind her, brick, glass and most horrifyingly of all body parts sprayed on and around her right before screams of agony hit her ear. Horrified, she turned abruptly around to see the pillar of flames before her eyes, people screaming and rushing for help. She could even see, dangling from the broken window the body of the waitress, her eyes popped and bleeding from the sockets.

!

!

!

"That's…That's…That's horrible! Why did you…do that! Horrible! You're horrible! Horrible! Horrible!"

"Cause it's fun…" Vlad said simply, leaving the girl mortified. Fun, all of it was just for fun?

"MONSTER AAAAAH!" She cried, she cried and cried as the flames danced around them. "No!" She screeched, watching his hand pull out his gun and aiming. She desperately clung to his arm, begging him to stop. The first shot rang in her ear and she heard a thud that sounded much like a child's own. "STOP IT!"

*BANG!*

"PLEASE STOP IT!*

*BANG!*

"STOP IT!*

"Kuh…Keh keh…Keh…Keh keh keh…"

"PLEASE STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT STOP IT! STOP IT!*

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

He was shooting everyone around him, those screaming in horror as they felt their brains splatter against the street. Miriana was crying, screaming, begging at the top of her lungs for him to stop. Soon enough, with fire and gore surrounding them, poor Miriana collapsed to her knees, staring blankly in front of her. Something wet was against her knees and she didn't need to look down to know it was blood. "Horrible…absolutely…horrible. Monster…you killed them. What did they ever do to you? There were children as well! Monster…you didn't have do this…AH!"

His large hand grasped her head and putting it face first into the bloody puddle. She coughed, gagged and ultimately lost her meal as she couldn't take the revolting smell and taste. "Ugah! Ah! Gah! Gyua!" Spitting up, she next found the frightening smile of the dark man upon her. "Do you understand now…little angel? This is the true reality that exists and it'll be the only thing you'll know until you die."

Shaking her frantically, her tears mixed with blood on her face. "Uuuugnh." She couldn't even speak, she only cried fruitlessly as Vladimir picked her back up and set her own her feet.

"Come on, it's time to get going…"

And she obeyed, crying her eyes out, she followed him, the dark man of lies.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: After a brief delay, I have finally gotten the first chapter of the 3rd Arc completely for Pinpoint Lifeline. Needless to say, Miriana is a situation that is most unfavorable as she is forced to was as Vladimir sadistically kills everyone around her for the pure joy of it. If she isn't rescued soon, her entire mind might get broken well before her body does. Not to mention that Vladimir is now taking her outside of Japan, but to where exactly? Meanwhile, Julius continues to infiltrate the happenings around the main facility so then...What will happen next in "Pinpoint Lifeline."<p>

R&R


	39. Author's Notice: Hiatus

**Notice: Due to the excedingly lack of reviews, I am postponing the story until at least 3 new reviews come in. I am getting favorites and view counts which by all means is very nice and as far as I can tell I wouldn't be getting such things if people weren't at least somewhat interested in the story. Yet without reviews explicitly telling me what you think, I have no way to improve my story. I want criticism, my story is not perfect but as an author I want your opinon. I wanted to make "Pinpoint Lifeline" into a very vast and interesting story, with major and minor characters original and unoriginal set in the EL Universe. However though I have enjoyed writing it, and still do, the lack of reviews has become readily apparent.**

**3 reviews, even if they're simple or critical I will continue the story, otherwise unless I feel like starting this back up again, "Pinpoint Lifeline" has temporarily ended.**

**Have a good day...**

**-Rocci**


	40. Unique Proposals And Demented Luxuries

**Chapter 39: Unique Proposals And Demented Luxuries**

"Wow…back in the hospital again." Elrya thought, her inner self nodding its metaphorical head again and again. Luckily the place that Kurama had kept did not suffer under the destruction that most of Kamakura had and thankfully the walls were thick enough to block what was definitely some very annoying sirens from outside. She was even in the same bed, her body bandaged and medicated while Yin Sandersas sat in the armchair beside her bed. She tried to keep her mind steady as not to think too much on Miriana which was well enough because if she knew what the poor soul was going through now she'd have jumped right out of bed and rushed off.

"How are you doing? You've been asleep for quite a while; I hope your wounds aren't bothering you too much." Yin said kindly, placing a gentle hand on her forehead. Giggling despite herself, the young Diclonius tried to put herself into a more serious demeanor. "Don't worry; we Diclonius might be as fragile as…well…" She stopped, thinking she had been disrespectful and deciding to change her statement. "Well anyways as you know, I can heal a lot faster thanks to my body's healing. Compare to broken bones, a few puncture wounds aren't going to stop me. Plus…" She continued darkly, turning her head so that she could rest it more comfortably on her pillow. "…He wants me alive. I have to stop him…I have to stop him from hurting Miriana. I have to stop him…from doing all the terrible things he's done. Vladimir Cents."

Yin continued to rub his fingers through her crisp pink hair, even slightly rubbing the edge of her horns which made her blush. He definitely thought it made her look cute, seeing her cheeks turn brightly red. "Where are armless and bad temper?" Alya mumbled, not even surprising Yin anymore as he finally gotten used to the separate personality that would appear every so often. Shaking his head, he utter with false disappointment, "Now Alya, it's rude to speak of our friends like that." She blushed heavily again while his fingers once again rubbed through her hair. It was no longer any secret to anybody that the two had a strong emotional bond. Still, Alya felt rather irked whenever Yin treated her like this. Still she took it with a grain of salt and just told herself that things like this happen when you hold a relationship with a human.

Friends might have also have been a poor choice of words. While she didn't necessarily see them as enemies, it still stood that her first meeting with Bando and Roy hadn't exactly gone off at a great start and truth be told, she was still rather miffed about the fights they had. Yet, despite all of that, she had to admit they did try to help her, perhaps to attain their own goals, they still were willing to help her. Comrades would've been a better word but she wasn't going to start a meaningless conversation about that.

"I'm not sure where Bando is right now…" Yin continued. "But Roy is talking to Kurama right now. It seems that the girl who attacked the city and was subsequently killed, happened to be Kurama's daughter. He's taken it pretty hard right now, I can't really blame him."

"Is he going to be alright?" Alya asked, quite surprised that she was feeling upset over his dilemma. Then again, for something who was the embodiment of human hate, to feel such concern for a human startled Alya despite all the things she had gone through. Then again, like Miriana and Yin, Kurama never actually attempted to shoot her own sight when they first met, that definitely gave him a few points.

"Losing someone important to you is always hard, especially when it's your own child. He's grown ragged and unshaven and I'm fairly certain there's an aroma of alcohol around him. He's definitely not a pleasant sight right now and I've heard he's even tried to attempt suicide."

"No way!" Elrya cut in, clicking back into the original personality. "Why would he even try to do something like that?"

"The truth Elrya, he's lost probably his only family, his daughter. It would put a hole in anybody's heart I'm sure. Luckily Bando stopped him before he could commit the deed and now Roy's trying to coax him out of his depression. Since he also lost a child, it's easy for Roy to relate to Kurama."

She nodded once. "I hope he's alright, I like him…" Before seeing Yin's rather puzzled face. "I mean as a person, you're still mine." Yin stared then broke into a fit of short laughter, rubbing his head rather embarrassingly. "It's not like I'm getting jealous or anything." He tried to claim while Elrya smiled deeply. "Is that so Yin? Well then why don't you prove it?"

"Prove it?" He asked, not getting the point.

"Sheesh, what a man. You've already kissed Alya, aren't you going to kiss the other personality of your girl?" She said with delight, gazing up at his face and kind smile. "I've been through a lot right now, so I need a little luck for what we have to go through." Still smiling, Yin placed his face near her own, a bit dazzled by her cherubic beauty. "Luck huh? We could all use a little luck…"

"…Yeah."

Tenderly pressing his lips against her own, he was careful not to put too much pressure on her body. Even now, despite knowing her rather unique body attributes, still found it amazing that she could be so calm with having holes punctured into her. Though said holes had begun to close up already, a testament to her Diclonius healing factor. Their kiss was steady and simple, yet warm and collect, as if by kissing her he could whisper comforting thoughts to the young Diclonius. The kiss was deep, passionate but not overly so, he felt no reason to delve into such thoughts especially with her condition and age. "Does my age still bother you?" Right on the mark as if she had read his thoughts, Yin sighed deeply.

"I guess it doesn't bother me as much as it did before. I admit, I'm still a bit unsure, but I definitely don't regret any of it." His calming words of trust makes her smile radiantly, once again touching his lips and kissing him peacefully. Thoughts of wonder and bliss filled her head, traveling through her and Alya's mind together. "When did such wonderful people like Yin exist? Have their always been people like them?

…Yin?"

"Hm?"

"I hope this isn't too sudden…but…what to…get married?" Elrya asked with such a red blush one might have thought she had a serious fever. Yin didn't answer at first, merely caressing his hands through her thick pink hair and thinking deeply to herself. No question, he loved the girl, horns, hair, red eyes, and those strange little invisible hands. The exact same thing could be said not just for Elrya, but for Alya as well. While he certainly would never think of her as an item, the young Diclonius was like two gifts in one. Both Elrya and Alya had amazing dispositions and attributes that made them unique.

"I don't want a yes/no answer either."

"Eh? Then how am I supposed to answer?" The black haired man asked, definitely confused. Elrya smiled sweetly, at him, parting her lips ever so much. "If you don't, then there's no reason for us to be together, friends is the only thing we can be. You took care of me, nursed me back to health and made me realize that not everyone out there is bad. Yet I want the truth from you, I want to know if you really want to go this far because…well…heheh…" Giggling to herself, her face couldn't have looked anymore cherubic. "Look at me, talking about marriage like I even know what it's about. But, I'm serious on this and I think you know the answer you have to give right now. If you say no…"

"…I should just back away, and pretend like this never happened." Yin answered, watching as Elrya nodded once. "…And if you do Yin…then…"

"…Then I should…"

Neither strong nor voracious, but just as gentle as before, Yin kissed his love and now soon to be wife. Their lips pressing together said yes, perfectly harmonized, Yin's answer was definitely what Elrya and Alya had hoped for. With the answer settled, the Diclonius blissfully lost herself in the kiss, so gentle and pure. As far she cared, she didn't need some official documentation stating they were married, it was enough right now to officially call herself "Elrya Alya Sandersas." Such a thought, such a wonderful thought crossing her mind as she pressed her mouth tightly against Yin's. What was once soft and timid became more passionate after each second. A kiss of passion, mouths rubbing softly against one another until at last, as if she was getting irked by the attention Elrya was getting, suddenly came to the front of the mind and plunged her warm tongue in Yin's mouth.

"Ah…" Caught off guard by the sudden intrusion, Yin nevertheless blissfully welcomed the warm taste of Alya's entrance. It felt great to her of course, softly licking his tongue and teeth and feeling his fingers caress her hair. Finally letting go, the two felt the edge of each other's tongue break away as Yin got up, letting the young girl finally get some well-deserved rest. "Yin, before you go, can I ask a quick question?"

Yin nodded, seeing no problem in it. "Sure, what is it Elrya?"

"How did it taste?"

"Huh?"

"I've heard Alya tastes like cherries, do I taste like cherries or do I taste like something else. Oh and if you say lemons…"

Yin laughed. "You also taste like cherries, both of you, like the sweetest cherries I've ever tasted. Get some rest, I know that we've got quite a journey a head of us." Smiling as she rested her head gradually against the pillow, Yin closed the door bumped almost directly into The Sniper. "Oh, Roy, how's it going?" He asked politely, noticing Roy's rather serious expression. "Is…something wrong?"

"Well firstly…" Roy stated, tilting his head to the side. "Congratulations on the marriage. Even though it isn't official, I guess in times like these anything will work."

"Heh, is it…that obvious?" Yin joked and yet almost instantly became stern and dropped his voice to a whisper. "Thanks, but you aren't here to talk to me about our rather strange way of getting married are you Roy?" Shaking his head, The Sniper beckoned the young man into one of the empty rooms, sitting down and propping himself against the wall for balance, one of his single bullets whirling non-threateningly by his waist before dropping with an ominous clatter to the floor. "Number 90 Elrya…Number 91 Alya two fundamentally different people in a single body. You know this already and have fallen in love with both of them simultaneously and they as well to you. Honestly, I never thought your relationship with her would become so deep, because this is the first time that we've ever seen such a relationship between a human and a Diclonius."

"What…are you trying to get at?" Yin asked, almost nervously.

"I've wanted to hold this information away from you but when you've become this close, and things have become so hectic I believe I need to talk about this. You're a smart man Yin so, even if you haven't figured this out yet, it probably won't surprise you. Elrya Alya, code named #9091…is a killer."

* * *

><p>!<p>

"K-Killer?" Yin mumbled, shaking his head. "That's a pretty sick joke…"

"Do you really think I'd be joking in this kind of situation?" Roy retorted back, silencing Yin instantly. Somewhere in your mind, I believe probably during our fight that you know somewhere deep down, she at the very least had a killer tenacity. A person who has never killed would never so easily attack much less rip entire arms off like she did to me. A person who has never once at least thought of killing, could never become as violent as she did before against me."

Bewildered and ultimately horrified, Yin walked over and sat down in one of the chairs, brushing a small bead of sweat from his forehead. "I don't…believe it. Then all the things she said were a lie?"

"Don't get the wrong idea. Elrya and Alya both love you very much and most of her murders have always been because of neglect and mistreatment in her life." The way he said it, even Yin didn't miss out on the singularity word "most". Clasping his hands together, Yin asked the only question that needed to be asked. "What do you mean by...'most'?"

"Do you know what Alya is?" Roy asked seriously, the mood darkening almost frighteningly.

"She's another personality, I know that well enough. It's definitely something unique but split personalities aren't rare at all. Although I have to admit I've never seen a case where both personalities were conscious of one another." Yin said monotonously, calmly waiting for Roy's response.

"Originally, Elrya was the main personality, just a single person with a single mind. I want you to listen closely Yin because this is very important. The personality known as Alya, is to its very original core a base instinct personality. No matter how much she changes, no matter how much she calms down and finds humans acceptable, at the very of her being, she desires to kill humans." Roy's words were like a smack to the face, leaving Yin almost breathless. Of all the things that didn't make sense, this surely made the least sense of all. Why would that girl, who can be so friendly with him and Miriana, the most human of humans he knew of, want to kill humans anyways?

"Every single Diclonius has the innate personality that desires to kill humans. Alya is that personality, the core belief and genetic ideal that wishes for her to kill humanity. Due to your love and the respect and friendship from Miriana and a few other people like Vorono, Alya's ideas on humanity have greatly changed. She no longer has the strong believe that all humans are loathsome creatures." Roy continued, narrowing his eyes while Yin interrupted.

"But…if that's the case then she…"

"Listen, Yin Sandersas!" Roy all but yelled. "Alya is, and I repeat, a genetic voice with a conscious. She understands right and wrong and every other basic function that we humans do. It's as you see, she's just another personality. She is however, to her very core, still genetic." The room, as if a cold wind had suddenly burst through made Yin shiver in his chair. Listening carefully, the black haired man wasn't sure he wanted to hear the rest but knew that he to listen intently. "It's like a knee jerk reaction. Your body automatically reflexes when it's hit, causing the necessary movement. If you concentrate, you can sometimes divert this reflex. Your mind is able to outrun its body process and keep it from reflexing. However, even if one can stop the reflex, unless they keep it on a constant motion, in time that reflex will occur again. That's what Alya is, she's a reflex that has been momentarily stalled."

Listening diligently, it was definitely surprising but it had made enough sense for the black haired man to understand. Still, it obviously wasn't the end of the conversation as Roy began talking again.

"The Diclonius murderous mentality is nothing new, we've known about it for a long time. The thing is, Alya's murderous potential is highly unlike anything we ever saw before. It's almost borderline insane, it's downright wicked. Her powers have grown vastly from when she was in the facility, growing more and more constant by the days, reaching levels we'd never expect her to reach. That girl is like a nuclear bomb, ready to explode at that one single provocation and…well I think you know what's going to happen. I think you can look outside and see the state of Kamakura and know exactly what to expect."

"That's…horrible." Yin muttered.

"Yin, the only thing keep Alya from outright murdering everyone is your love. Right now, you are the sole reason that she hasn't completely lost it right now and gone into a murderous frenzy. So, for the love of god if you screw something up and get us all killed I swear I will blow your fucking brains out." Though it was a threat, a clear one at that, it was also a beg and Yin Sandersas knew that well enough.

"I understand, I won't let her down. Even if I have to take the force of all of her pain, I will gladly do so."

"I hope you can…" Roy said, ending the conversation as a half-ragged but very disgruntled Kurama came in. "Roy…Yin there's something you've got to see on the television. We're in Elrya Alya's room right now since, obviously she needs to see it as well." Roy narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What's up Kurama? I'm sure a lot is going to be on the television right now, surprise we even have anything right now due to all the destruction."

Nodding once, Roy found out why this situation was much more dire than he thought. "That might be the case…except the person on the television right now is Kakuzawa."

* * *

><p>"THE HELL?" Roy roared, pushing himself off the wall. "What's that old bastard doing now on public television!" No time to listen for an answer, he'd get one while watching the television anyways, Roy and Yin followed Kurama back to Elrya's room where Bando stood gruffly with his arms crossed, glaring at the screen on the upper left side of the room. Sure enough, with that wicked smirk plastered over his face, Head Director Senior Kakuzawa was sitting at his desk, hands tightly clasped together and smugly radiating an aura of arrogance.<p>

"Hello, I am Senior Kakuzawa and I have a message for the foolish human race."

"Just as arrogant as everyone says he is…" Elrya muttered coldly.

"…As you may know, poor Kamakura has gone through quite an ordeal. This is merely the start of what you foolish humans can expect. You see, I…" Quickly reaching up, he pulled the fake wig from his head, revealing the horned bumps. "…Am the god of all Diclonius. The massive destruction you saw is only a taste of what you can expect from the glorious species that I am a part of. Compare to me and my species, all of you are but ants to our powers but I am a kind god. Though you are weak and pathetic, I am willing to reward those who please me."

"So that's what he's up to." Roy said darkly. "I must admit for a self-centered bastard he's quite intelligent. Since the missiles failed to launch and spread the virus, he's using the scared people as a way to get to the point. With everyone so frightened, he can use this fear to his advantage, making it as if he truly is a god."

"Sick bastard…" Alya cursed, Yin momentarily giving her a glance. The alternate personality smiled back, sensing some sort of stress in Yin's face but only believing it had to do with what was going on the television. Kakuzawa, still radiating that smug aura of arrogance, continued to boast. "I am seeking somebody, this person…right here."

"That's…"

"Yeah…" Roy muttered, not giving Elrya the time to speak an gazing at the picture on the screen. "Queen Diclonius Lucy. Of course, just plainly of course! There's no reason to hold the secret about Diclonius from the world anymore, everyone knows about them now though they still wouldn't know about the truth of the facilities I'm guessing."

Elrya glared at the picture, of course she wouldn't forget about Lucy and food good reasons she didn't exactly like the woman either, if old wounds had anything to say about it. Yet it was now all coming down, the entire truth and Kakuzawa milking every last bit of it. She and Alya could tell, could sense that Kakuzawa was nothing more than fraud but tell that to the 6.9 billion humans on the planet that had seen a Diclonius tear apart an entire city with ease and say "Don't worry, these girls won't hurt you." Even she had to admit, Senior Kakuzawa might be arrogant beyond believe, but he certainly knew how to play his cards right. An idiot wouldn't have gotten so far as he had after all.

"From this moment on, the world now belongs to the Diclonius, you humans are merely the ants that coexist with us…" Kakuzawa ended, the screen turning black.

"Wow…what a prick." Elrya mumbled.

"It won't change our plan though. You and Yin need to stop Vladimir at all cost and save Miriana. Bando and I will get the job at the facilities done, hopefully at least." Roy replied. "Your wounds should heal up completely by the end of tomorrow Elrya, we don't have any more time to waste. Bando, it's high time we got to work, you ready?"

"I've been getting tired just standing here." The soldier said gruffly, flexing his mechanical hand and walking to the door. "Besides, perhaps these idiots can dig out that pink haired bitch and I can finally break her!"

"Of course. Well Elrya…Yin…I guess this is where we say farewell. Congratulations on your rather unique marriage."

"Eh? How did you know about…that?" Elrya asked with a startled expression.

"You'd be surprised how obliviously loud you two were in that room, especially with all the moaning." Roy uttered, ignoring the deep embarrassed look the two people had and watching as the Sniper and Bando left along with Kurama, leaving the two lovers alone in the same room as they had been only minutes ago.

* * *

><p>"V-Vladimir?" Timidly looking up at him, Miriana squeaked the dark man's name through tight lips. Gazing over his shoulder, Vladimir calmly smiled back and listened to what Miriana had to ask. "Why are…you doing this?"<p>

"Suffering of course! I desire to make a…"

"No…" The young girl whispered, shaking her head. "I know what you want…" Pausing, the poor thing sniffed, remembering the bloody deed that Vladimir had committed a while ago, killing them all with such gleeful passion. "I know…what you want, but why? Why are you doing it? Did something happen to you in the past? Abuse? I want to help you!" Almost startled by her words, Vladimir chuckled deeply and turned around, this time directly facing the frightened girl and looking down on her with his cold eyes. "You are a very unique person, even now, you feel the need to help even an incorrigible soul like myself. However, you can only be an angel in your dreams.

...You were probably told as a child that murder was wrong. You were told that lying was wrong. You were told that many sins were wrong. You were probably raised by loving parents, even if they did suffer a tragic accident. In short, you were raised like almost everyone else was, to believe what is right and wrong.

I am exactly the same.

I was raised to believe that sinning was wrong, killing, lying, all of it was wrong. However…it came to me…that I asked myself…why? Why is killing wrong? Is there some sort of explanation that says if I kill, it will ultimately lead to the destruction of the universe or something? Sinning is wrong because people say it is wrong, not because it is wrong. Rules, laws, all of it is made up by people."

"So you want…chaos?" Miriana asked timidly.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Far from it in fact. I like an ordered world, I just people to suffer in this ordered world that's all. You see…Miriana…there are some people…some…incorrigible people, who have only one reason. I was raised to believe in good but…under my own volition, I wanted to see what it was like to do the opposite.

Do you know what the different between dreams and desires are?"

"N-No…"

"Dreams are false beliefs that people think of because they can't fulfill them. Desires are thoughts of those that are possible. If I dream, I pretend, if I desire, I want. I don't want just a dream, I want a desire. Sometimes, dreams can become desires, but dreams themselves will never come true. Well…here we are."

Standing on the docks, the wide ocean of the Atlantic spread out and reaching past the horizon, Miriana had no time to enjoy the scenery. "Well…let's go find ourselves a nice boat and see who can drive us to Europe...hmmm." He stopped, thinking deeply with a finger to his face. "It's occurred to me that unless we use a large ship, it would take a couple of days to get to Europe, might have to make some alterations."

"A-Alterations?" the multi-haired girl cried.

* * *

><p>"Greetings and salutations!" Vladimir roared over the bloody torn room that filled the massive luxury cruiser, perhaps the only one still read to set out despite the horrors going on in Japan. At such a point it might've been better to say that the ship was setting out to escape and not for luxury. Yet, Vladimir who had snuck on the ship had made it quite clear what was going on as he murdered a vast number of people around him.<p>

"We're going to make a change of course here Captain. Oh…and the rest of you, sorry to say but I really don't need all of you on here right now. Could you kindly throw yourself into the seas for me please? I'd appreciate it."

And when they didn't…Miriana was once again forced to watch as a mass killing spree began again. She watched, like a horrific movie as blood spilled into the room, people running away, trying to get into lifeboats and even jumping off the massive ship into the freezing waters below. Perhaps a few dreaded souls locked themselves in their room, who knew, but for certain the only people around were Vladimir, Miriana and the poor Captain forced to steer the ship under Vladimir's command. "Location locked, boat handled and we are off. Your own a luxury cruiser Miriana, probably won't be on one of these often, by all means enjoy yourself."

His words, heartless to the core made on worse as Vladimir Cents lazily propped himself against one of the sun decked chairs, throwing his arms behind his head and relaxing as if truly was on a vacation, the smell of blood wafting through his nose. Poor Miriana, watching stuff that made her visibly sick bent down and lost her stomach, collapsing on the side of the deck and staring up at the white clouded skies above.

"Ah?"

Anytime Vladimir had a thought, it could never mean anything good, but Miriana subconsciously turned her head to face him. "What is it?" She sniffed, trying to get the bad taste of vomit out of her mouth. "Hold on…" Vladimir muttered, putting a finger to his ear and twisting the small electronic object that Miriana couldn't see. "…Ah…I nearly forgot about #28. I feel rather disappointed with myself, we held quite a bit of a friendship the two of us. This truly is a luxury cruise liner. Great food, wide open space and now amazing music." As if in a deep trance, Vladimir smiled happily while resting his head back down against the back of his heads.

"…Don't mind me, feel free to do whatever you want right now. Although escaping really isn't an option right now. Talk to the Captain, I'm sure he could use a kind soul like you right now."

"She didn't need to be told twice, she got up and raced off, crying, once again vomiting and above all just desperately wanting to get to a place that didn't have the sight and smell of gore around her. Vladimir Cents, still smiling serenely muttered under his breath. "…Like sweet lullabies."

As he listened to the heart wrenching shrieks as the dark man in black brutally raped poor #28 without pause or mercy.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: With the new reviews in, Chapter 39 and the continuation of Pinpoint Lifeline has started up again. Kakuzawa has made his moves as has Vladimir Cents and in a most unqie way, Yin and Elrya have gotten married, though the honeymoon will have to wait. The danger zone has only gotten worse, and will happen next...on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p>

Remember...R&R.


	41. Breakdown Of Operations

**Chapter 40: Breakdown Of Operations**

* * *

><p><strong>Character Profiles<strong>

**Elrya "Sandersas":** Our main heroine of the story Pinpoint Lifeline. 16 years old, Elrya was recently released by Garder in the hopes that she would be killed and through both skill and luck, has managed to escape death many times. While originally spiteful of humans, contact with some kinder ones has completely changed her perspective of them and, perhaps in a unique way, has even married one, if unofficially. Desperate to stop Kakuzawa and holding a rather personal vendetta against Garder, Elrya firstly has to deal with the person who has decided to make her life a living hell, Vladimir Cents. Strong, brave, she's ready to take action at any time.

**Alya "Sandersas":** Elrya's main Diclonius personality, calmed through the efforts of Miriana and Yin's kindness. She and Alya share the same body but different brain wavelengths, allowing them to exist as two completely opposite people. Thought the same person, For Alya, and vise versa, Elrya, the two are the closest friends, helping each other out whenever they can. She is more active than Elrya, often expressing her opinion more fiercely and being of the same body, is also "unofficially" married to Yin.

**Miriana Kusoku:** Elrya best friend regarding that which isn't part of her mind. Miriana is a young girl of about the same age as Elrya with a unique shade of blonde in her black hair. During her childhood, her parents suffered a terrible accident, killing them and leaving her entire body deeply scarred. Timid and not wanting to cause violence, it is Miriana who helps keep the Elrya and the other's moral up. Incredibly gentle, Miriana believes in the good of the world and thus cannot stand it when violence happens around her. Nevertheless, despite her lack of skills and abilities she is more than willing to help out her friends at any time.

**Yin Sandersas**: Elrya Alya's "unofficial" husband. Yin a young man at 20 years old who happened to come across Elrya in the most bizarre of circumstances. Though it took a while, Elrya Alya eventually began to trust and ultimately fall in love with the man. Though not skilled in things such as weaponry, Yin acts as the doctor for Elrya's group which considering the things they have to go through, is quite needed of him.

**Roy Synth:** The original 5th member of Vladimir Cent's group of assassins, code named "The Sniper" Roy joined Elrya's group after a brutal fight with the girl that left him without both of his arms. Despite his handicap, it did nothing to slow down his skill with the ability to mentally control bullets and fired them without the need of a gun. As the member with the greatest knowledge on the facilities, he is considered the go to guy for information. With Elrya and Yin going off to save Miriana, he and Bando head to the first facility.

**Bando:** The Ex-SAT soldier who met his first loss against the Queen of the Diclonius Lucy. Though originally not wanting to help them, Bando eventually joined Elrya's group in the hope that at some point they would run into Lucy. The gruff, arrogant member of the group, despite his attitude, Bando is still willing to help out the others and holds a close comradeship with Roy. As one of the most skilled fighters in the group, he is a valuable asset.

**Vladimir Cents:** The main leader of his group of assassins, of which he has played and murdered himself, the code name of "The Incorrigible" fits him perfectly. Dark, demented with no sense of righteousness in him. Vladimir's desires are to make a world filled with nothing but suffering even if it includes his own life as well. At first used by Garder to kill Elrya, Vladimir ultimately decided to have his own goals and has kidnapped Miriana for his own sick amusement. A man of a hideous viewpoint, Vladimir is also one of the most powerful beings, possessing almost inhuman abilities.

**Julius Javel:** The Second Cent member, Julius is one of the rarest of the rare, a male Diclonius. Stern and stoic, despite being biologically a Diclonius, Julius likes to think of himself as a human and as such, holds them with higher respect than his biological kin do. While technically a member of Vladimir's group, he is ultimately Garder's private officer, sending and collecting information for the elder director. Allowing himself to come into Kakuzawa's hand, he waits within the same cells as his kin but hardly defenseless and ready to give out any important information that might be needed for Garder.

**Garder F. Morotisan:** The director on one of the few facilities located in Tokyo, Garder is an elder man as well as a veteran soldier who has severed in countless battles. He has trained himself to listen to specific sounds, allowing him to hear the specific vibrations that vectors produce. He is the one who captured and imprisoned Elrya in the facility, which has done nothing to stop her hate for him. For him, he is fighting a triple battle, one with Kakuzawa, one with Vladimir and most importantly, one with Elrya Alya.

**Head Director Kakuzawa:** Kakuzawa Sr. who runs the main facility on the small island off the beach of Kamakura. Believing himself to be of Diclonius origin, he of course wishes to find Lucy and mate with her, creating a perfect Diclonius world and ending the human reign forever. Though arrogant and proud, Kakuzawa is highest deceptive and tactical, managing to create utter chaos and take control of Japan's fear as well as much fot he world thanks to Mariko's destruction. While not as skilled as Vladimir and Garder, he still a very big threat that has to be stopped at all cost.

* * *

><p>30 minutes of silent preparation, 20 minutes of silent discussion, 15 minutes of finalization, sure enough the man sitting lazily on the sun deck was indeed the same man who had murdered all those people in Kyoto. With such a sudden intrusion, they did not have much time to prepare themselves and with true feeling of remorse, could not help but feel so sorry for all those people that had died. 10 members of a Japanese Specialty Unit had, both as security and partially as, with any cruise-liner, enjoyment, and come aboard never realizing that they would actually be forced into such a situation. Separated from the location of Vladimir's mass murder, they had gotten together, armed themselves and raced outside with perfect synchrony.<p>

"Target locked…" The Sniper mutter to the radio in his ear, taking the rifle and aiming it down to the back of Vlad's head as her perched himself over the balcony. The other members hidden in cover nodded, taking aim as well to each vital part of his body. Brain, heart, liver, lung, they'd only need one shot just to take him out, this sickening dark man of lies.

"Target is moving…"

Indeed, perhaps getting bored of lounging around, Vladimir picked himself up, stretched his arms and gazed almost melancholy-like at the sea, hands held behind his back. The soft winds blew his onyx coat and blonde hair back and forth yet doing nothing to hide that mad glint in his eyes. "Alpha-B…take the shot."

The sniper above narrowed his pitched black eyes, pressed his finger against the trigger and just for a half moment, gazed to his left to see what appeared to be a thick black rod sticking into the ground next to him. If there was ever a click of the trigger being pressed, nobody would've heard it as Kisori Nagada, age 32 was literally knocked off of his feet, his stumps wailing through the air as the explosive blast tore off his arm and part of his face. He died instantly, only a sliver of ungodly pain surged through him before the dark but merciful reaper took him away. The blood slammed into the pool, filling it with blood in only a matter of seconds as Vladimir, as if nothing was going on, continue to look out at the ocean peacefully.

"Wh-What the fuck was that!"

*BOOM!*

A disembodied head flew past Vlad's own, plopping mundanely into the ocean before a small set of detonations went off on the ship. Body parts blew across the deck, filling a world already drenched in blood into what was now a concoction of hell. Flexing his fingers, Vladimir formed 3 thin like rods between the fingers of his right head, moving them again so that they thickened before inserting them into his neck and shoulder. "What a pleasant sound the ocean has, calm, collect, so pristine." Vladimir uttered under his breath looking over his shoulder and half surprised by what he saw. "How unfortunate."

* * *

><p>The Captain of the ship was an old man in his late 60s that looked like the exact image that one would've thought a marine captain should look like. He was old with many wrinkles and a thick white bead. His facial expression indicated that he probably had some non-Japanese bloodline in him and his accent talking to Miriana was proof of that. Of course as the only person left living on the ship, as far as Miriana knew and as far as Vladimir cared, she had made sure to befriend the Captain. Though old, he was a kind man and perhaps, knowing the dangers he and the girl were in, tried to treat the situation as calmly as he could.<p>

A large fan was blow, keeping the small space of the Captain's room very cold but it did help keep the stench of blood away from the poor girl's sick stomach. "S-Sir…where are we going?" She asked as Vladimir had not given direct locations, only saying that they were heading off to Europe.

"He wants…me to steer the boat so that we can get to Hungary. Though I have no idea why he even wants to go there. Of course it's impossible to get to Hungary purely by boat, he'll have to follow through other countries as well to get to it."

Miriana nodded solemnly, checking over her shoulder before whispering. "Are you going to do that?"

"No." The Captain's words were as serious as they could be. "Killing and taking such an innocent girl like you hostage, I won't let him get away with what he's done. Although of course you must have heard about what's going on in Japan."

"A-Actually I don't…I've been with Vladimir so…I really don't know what's going on other than, well…something really bad happened to Kamakura."

"Aye!" The captain said aloud. "Yet it hasn't stopped there, now some nutcase named Kakuzawa has taken control of the entire place. Saying he's the god of this new horned species, and everything. Now usually if someone started yapping like that on the T.V. we'd just go and call him crazy but…can we? I mean there was video proof on it, that…little girl, completely destroying everything using…who knows what. Psychic powers maybe? It's like something from a bad fiction, but it was there, as real as it could be. What on earth could those horned girls be? How many are out there? How many are outside of Japan? I must admit my young friend I've never been so frightened in my life. It's like they're monsters…"

"I don't think so." Miriana piped. "I don't…really know much about these…horned girls. All I know is that they're called Diclonius and they have…something called vectors which…from what I heard is like invisible hands. However my best friend is one of those Diclonius and I would never want any harm to come to her."

Listening to her, The Captain sighed deeply, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to insult your friend. It's just that…I admit I'm frightened and having my ship taken over like this, by a single man doesn't help much at…Guh!" The Captain including Miriana jerked back when several resounding explosion echoed from outside. "Wh-What on earth was that!" The white bearded man proclaimed, rising up from his seat and racing to the door. Obviously something bad had happened because the moment the door was opened, a rushing sensation of death wafted through their nostrils. Perhaps even the air itself had become bloody, a crimson air that did nothing to calm Miriana's queasy stomach. "Ugh…Guh…Ugh…"Retching but not wanting to dirty the Captain's room, she could only force herself outside and taste ever last bit of blood in the air on her tongue.

"AAAGH!" The poor thing once again vomited onto the ship's deck, tears streaming down her pathetic face before clutching her gut, rolling on her side. "Ah!...Ugh…UGHA!" Sickening, it was all so sickening to the girl who prized peace and friendship above everything else. Her location kept her, quite fortunately from seeing the bodies but the pungent odors was more than enough for to reel back on other side, retched and vomits once again. "I can't take this…" She thought helplessly, crawling back to the door. "I can't…breathe…I…

Somebody…

…help me."

* * *

><p>"…I have a proposition for you Lucy." Garder responded firmly, pushing his glasses back up his nose so that his black slit eyes were invisible behind the white sheen. The Queen of the Diclonius scoffed, turning her head away. "Why would I want to help you at all? You people have been nothing but trouble for me."<p>

"I am offering you, in short terms, temporary freedom."

?

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, curious. Temporary?"

"That's right. I put you in here as way to keep Kakuzawa away, but I underestimated the man. I didn't think he'd go as far to make an entire speech on television, much less get everyone to believe him. I may be the director of this specific facility but Kakuzawa is still the main director and has more control than I do. Who knows what he'll be planning with the other facilities and I can't take the risk of him coming here and finding you. Even you know your importance to him…'Queen' Lucy."

The Diclonius didn't need to be lectured on that point.

"…In short, temporary release. I actually want you out in the open, so that Kakuzawa won't find you. Yet everyone out there is now looking for you and downright afraid of you as well." Garder wasn't surprised by the girl's smirk, she was too self-centered really. "As they all should be…those humans. So what, you want me to just leave now?"

"The sooner the better…just remember…I have a perfect lockdown on your very location. No matter where you go, I will know."

"…I see…"

"Correct, also when you leave, try to leave calmly. I'd rather not have the same incident you caused at the head facility."

"Oh? Does it bother you that I could kill all the people here? I wonder do you have a ditzy little secretary like that bastard Kurama had?"

"No, I don't. Now get going, and remember…I have my sights on you." Garder said tensely, watching as Lucy gave him one last fleeting look and slowly walked away, not sure whether she should feel glad or not. Left alone, he had no qualm in letting the queen go so easily after getting her back. In war, tactical changes and moves had to be made and right now, Kakuzawa was fighting a tactical battle. As far as Kakuzawa knew, Garder F. Morotisan was just another name of a pawn who was working for him.

Perhaps, at this time, he'd see what Julius was up to and keep him up to date with what was going on in the outside world, knowing that he was probably kept up in the cramp spaces of the facility cells.

* * *

><p>"So let me get this straight, we're heading to what is considered the least defended of the facilities, going to barge in, probably have some massive fight to save a bunch of horned girls whom may remind of that bitch to the point where I may go and just shoot them myself?" Bando growled.<p>

"Pretty much." Roy said simply. "Got the balls to do it, soldier?"

The clicking of Bando's desert eagle and his wide smirk was answer to that. "Damn straight I do. Can't say I care much for helping those freaks, but whatever.

Let's go kick some ass."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another chapter finished, back to the good days of posting a lot in a short amount of time. If it hasn't become obvious yet, Vladimir is obviously based on the legendary Vlad Tepes...as if the name Vladimir, drinking blood, and implaing people wasn't enough. Poor Miriana is suffering under Vladimir's control whom for a man who delights in such things, nothing good can come from it. Surprisingly, believing it to be a smart tactical choice, Garder has actually let Lucy go, knowing her importance but feeling it is safer if she is actually out in the open instead of in his facility and finally, Roy and Bando set off.<p>

What will happen on the next epic chapter of "Pinpoint Lifeline."


	42. Godhood Sickness

**Chapter 41: Godhood Sickness **

What kind of world would come out from Kakuzawa's speech? The only people who knew about Diclonius outside of the facility were people like Yin and Miriana. Everyone else knew about them from the sole fact that they worked with them and it was no secret that Kakuzawa desired to become a god of them. This was nothing new; he stressed this well enough and his intelligence and vast supplies allowed him to do whatever it was he pleased. As it had been said, money makes the world go round; a few million dollars can easily match the self-destructive force of a hundred invisible arms. Of course people were frightened, what worth could they possibly have against these superior beings? It was made worse by the fact that nobody even knew where these girls might come from.

It was something that fit into Kakuzawa's palm as if he had planned it all along. The first thing to be done was to lower the number of staff members. He'd still need a few, humans, while weak inferior beings, did make god work forces but too much of a good thing can be bad. He'd keep the directors at the other facilities at hand, they of course would be vital, either as information or just in short, as slave work. Firing 43 members of the Institution of Human Evolution however just didn't seem to please the boastful old man as he sat behind his desk, no longer wearing the false white wig anymore. The three pointed tips, on each side of his head and one right in the middle was shown to everyone, passing by as he held, for security purposes, a small hand gun. It wasn't the gun that scared people, though it was intimidating, it was his wealth and power. The man had their lives wrapped in his palms and he could easily kill their families if he so wished it.

"All staff…report to Block B, 1st Floor, Room 103." The self-proclaimed god of Diclonius uttered over the intercom. Moaning and bustling over, the large room was packed together with the members of the island facility, most of them just wanting to go home after a long day. There weren't even enough chairs to sit around and waiting for Kakuzawa was becoming irksome. Unfortunately for the 43 members lazily sitting and standing around, it would be the last day they would ever see. Unseen, deadly, it wafted through the ventilation system, smothering the room.

"Ah! Kah! Kah! Wh-What is this!"

"G-G-Gas!"

Choking, clawing the air as if hoping to snatch some fresh air, Kakuzawa watched the worms suffering in the room, grinning sadistically as they helplessly tried to open the locked doors. Humans, to even think he'd be compared to such mindless animals as them. The only good human was a dead one; they for mocking his ancestry would soon learn their place. Watching with an almost unconcerned gaze now, he saw a young woman, perhaps no older than 21 crying on the ground before her chest stopped moving. It took 2 minutes to kill every last person in the room.

"Perfect, although I will need to get the bodies removed somehow." Kakuzawa mumbled, getting up and walking out the doors, heading across the halls and stepping into a small spaced elevator where, almost in sick perversion, Mozart was playing. Down, down, down, longer than any elevator of any skyscraper, stretched over two kilometers deep. Down, down, down…into the Cave of Lebensborn. Into the cave of the self-created goddess and his own daughter...

…Kakuzawa Anna.

* * *

><p>Floating with half of her engorged head poking out of the murky water, Anna watched as the doors opened and her father stepped outside, putting a small napkin to his nose to stop a light nosebleed. Tombstones littered the cave, some upright, some slanted and some fallen over, each one signifying the death of his kin. Giving a passing glance to the tombstone of his elder son, Kakuzawa finally stepped in front of the massive head.<p>

"Father…" Anna said, her voice booming and deep.

"Anna, it is as you have said, it has come true."

"Thank you father, Anna will always help father…" She spoke before dripping into thoughts. "…Because…Anna loves father."

"Yet, I still need Lucy to complete my plans, don't I Anna?"

The head nodded, sending ripples across the water. "That is correct father, all data points that to complete what you desire, the one named Lucy must be caught." Smiling at this, Kakuzawa placed his hands in his pockets. "Good…very good Anna." Unable to contort her face into something resembling happiness, Anna was nevertheless proud of being congratulated by her father.

"Anna…I do have a question though. Due to the dirtying of our blood by humans, I have gotten, needless to say, the short end of the straw. I must attain what is rightfully so, vectors. There must be a way to do so."

Gazing down on her father, Anna couldn't bear to tell him the truth. It had nothing to do with dirtying blood; her father, as well as the entire families were only humans with bone mutations. She had known this the very moment she had entered the streaming vortex of intelligence. Her father, despite being a human, hated them so much and she could not bear to make her father unhappy. "Anna…Anna loves father…and Anna…will always help father." She thought heavily, letting her god-like mind transfer the data. "There is yet no indication of such things being possible yet…Anna will continue seeking data." Thought disappointed by the answer, Kakuzawa was content enough knowing that his daughter wouldn't lie to him and it wasn't like she said it was impossible.

"I've sent our friend to find Lucy, hopefully he won't screw up like everyone else did. In the meanwhile, Anna what is it that I must do next?"

Anna sunk low in the water, letting jus the stream pass underneath her eyes. "The data indicates that you are going to need to get the trust of the Diclonius. Data indicates that this trust is very low right now." The old man scoffed at these words, shaking his head disappointedly. "Poor…poor, misguided things. They believe I mean to cause them harm and yet I do it for the greater good of all Diclonius. I understand what you mean though Anna, perhaps our new guy can help."

"Father is talking about the Male Diclonius that came here a few days ago? Data input shows that he may not be of best suited material to helping father. Data input indicates that you can have a lesser Diclonius help by allowing her to believe you are helping her out for…as father says in truth…the greater good. The best option would have been Number 28 who was perfectly obedient…the next best option input indicates, is Number 21. You will have to appease to her emotions but she has been locked up for a very long time and with little recognition of the outside world."

"Excellent, I truly do thank you Anna. I will be going now. Goodbye."

"Goodbye…father."

* * *

><p>The call came in as a small vibration against his ear. Julius, lowering his head, whispered softly into the large cell of captivated horns girls. "I am here Garder, speaking is alright, I am currently situated in the cells with the other Diclonius."<p>

"Good, I hope you are not feeling too lonely." Garder's gruff voice answered back with a slight bit of sarcasm behind it. Julius nevertheless answered back with his usual stoic tone. "I wouldn't mind having some clothes, I do not feel embarrassed but I do feel rather insulted. Then again, it isn't like Kakuzawa would understand such emotions. I have yet to have any contact with the outside world since I first came here, though I have no reason to believe that Kakuzawa knows of our true intent."

"Good. Then I will explain what is going on in the outside world Julius. Kakuzawa has proclaimed himself as a god to Japan and in the most part, the entire world. He's caused an international updraft and is using fear to control the people lives." Garder spoke out seriously while Julius listened intently, mumbling "I see" every once in a while.

"I assume Lucy is still in your possession?"

"No, I let her go."

"Really?" The male Diclonius queried.

"The entire point of even capturing Lucy was to keep her away from Kakuzawa. In the beginning this was a wise move, however Kakuzawa is taking a more direct approach with his actions. I have her exact locations pinpointed on the screens so I know where she is at any point in time. However it would've been too much of a risk if she stayed in my facility. After all, the only people who actually know that she was here are myself, you and of course, Vladimir Cents."

"Speaking of my temporary leader, do you know what he's been up to?"

"The last thing that we know of is the fact that Vladimir kidnapped a person name Kusoku Miriana, some sort of friend of Elrya Alya. He hasn't hid his actions very well as there has already been an incident in Kyoto. The strange thing is however is the location we had on him was near the ocean as he apparently hijacked a large cruise ship. As far as we know now, the man isn't even in Japan anymore." The elder man utter coldly. "As of right now, I am sure that Elrya Alya will be going after him and we can hope that he kills her."

"So you still wish to have her die." Julius mumbled. He wasn't surprised by the long pause either, he patiently waited for the answer to come. "You already saw it, when Mariko went out of control. I can't let that happened again."

"So you wish to kill her…no, you wish for others to kill you because you refuse to do it yourself huh?"

"…"

"No matter Garder, I thank you for giving me this information. I will continue the monitor things here and if anything comes up, I will talk to you about it. I can hear footsteps, so I have to go now."

"Understood Julius, over and out."

* * *

><p>With the vibrations in his ear stopping, Julius and the other Diclonius looked up to see perhaps the last person they'd ever expect to see in their entire lives. Head Director Kakuzawa was a person whom either everyone hated or everyone didn't know because that was the truth. There were some Diclonius who had never even seen the man and had only heard of him through the grapevine. He was accompanied by two armed men holding assault rifles as well as a third one carrying what Julius recognized as a Desert Eagle holding the proclaimed "50 Caliber Anti-Diclonius Tungsten bullets." He kept his distance from the cells, eyeing each Diclonius and giving a rather special wave to Julius who merely nodded at his direction.<p>

"Hello Number 21…"

The person he spoke to was a young girl, perhaps 15 years old with a distinguishable orange mark in the shape of two twin crescent moons. She sat alone, against the very edge of the walls, most of her face obscured by the bright shade of violent that was her hair. "I have something I need you to do for me." Assuming it was just another day of experiments, she rose up obediently, glaring at them but doing nothing else walked out as guns were raised. The presence of a muzzle pressed against her head did not concern her nor did it give her reason to attack anyways. She allowed herself to injected with a special serum that would keep her vectors from emerging though it wasn't really necessary. She did not have any intentions of attacking and welcomed the fact that she could finally get out of the cells.

Nobody knew who she was.

She was just a number like everyone else, perhaps even less.

Quite surprised to find herself walking not to the chamber but instead down a hall she'd never seen before. There seemed to be less people around, usually even when she was walking to the chamber, the place would be packed with staff members. At last, after another corner she was lead through a small door that opened into a wide area with a large desk in front, the sunlight bursting through the large mirror partially blinding her until her eyes got used to the sudden bright light. Her curiosity definitely got to her as the doors closed and she was finally left alone with the old man with horns though she couldn't sense him like she could real Diclonius.

"I want you to help me?"

"Help?" The girl asked, of course confused at this turn of events.

"That's right, I am the god of all Diclonius." He said the words clearly and plainly, as an everyday truth. "And as a god I am feeling very generous for you Number 21…no…I shouldn't call you Number 21. You don't have a true name, allow me to give you one. How does Nirlinya sound." Apart from trying to pick the most unsound name imaginable, Number 21 took the name with a grain of salt. "It's nice…I guess…" She wasn't being rude she was just confused. This was different, a different place talking to the head boss of the entire facility. Any sensible person would probably kill him right now and the only reason Julius did not was by Garder's orders to keep track of information going on in the facility. Like war, you did not kill in interrogations without getting information though killing Kakuzawa would most certainly stall the etch of fear in the world at the moment.

"It's as I say, Nirlinya, I require your help. I want you to be by my side as my guard, as one of the very first Original Diclonius Royal Guards." The name might have sounded good if the girl understood what it meant. From what she could gather, it meant something along the lines of protecting this man. Tough luck on that, there was no way she'd help this man but such thoughts began to vanish at his next words.

"Of course, you'll be offered freedom."

"F-Freedom?" She asked timidly.

"That's right, I am after all a kind god. I award those who help me and if you do help me, I can offer you many things. I can offer you freedom, I can offer you clothes, I can offer you good food and drinks. Never again will you ever be experimented on."

!

"I won't…be hurt?"

"Correct! All I ask, is that you help me."

"You promise? You promise that I will never be hurt again?"

"Never again…" Kakuzawa leered.

"...H-How can I even trust you! I know what you've done, so how can I even believe you!"

Kakuzawa thought for a moment and did what either the bravest or the stupidest thing in his life, perhaps both. He got up from his desk, walking up the young girl without a weapon and spread his arms out to the side. She was well within the range of his vectors so why didn't she attack? There nobody else around, the other soldiers had left and thus, the man who created hell was well within her striking distance. If she killed him, she could end years of turmoil but…

"_I am a kind god…"_

Maybe this was a sign of divine intervention. The most unlikely of messiahs coming to save her.

"Y..Y…Y…"

"Aye?"

"YES!" She shrieked, eyes widening past their usual deadpanned stare and falling to her knees, suddenly prostrating herself to the floor by his feet. Tears were streaming down her face, not the usual tears of pain and sadness that was associated within the facility, it was one of pure joy. "I will K-Kakuzawa-sama! I will! I promise!" As if being reborn, Number 21 felt ecstatic. To her, this was no longer a man, much less a person responsible for all of her pain. This was a god responsible for her rebirth.

"I am…the father of Adam…

I am…the father of Eve…

I am…god of all Diclonius…"

She nodded, bowing her head almost clumsily while smiling elatedly. Anna was right, he had to appease to her emotions and it had worked too easily. Still, he wasn't one to just let things go like that, he gazed in her eyes, trying to find any sort of lie in them. The only thing he found was pure admiration for a god.

"Stand."

Obeying on the spot, she got up, holding her hands together to please her god. She had to please her god after all, it was the right thing to do. "What do you want me to do…Kakuzawa-sama? I will do anything…for Kakuzawa-sama."

"Anything huh?"

"Anything…" She whispered.

"Then Nirlinya, here is your first assignment. The world needs to know about the amazing race of the Diclonius. Number 35 has already given them a taste of our true power but unfortunately, there are not that many of our grand kind in the world. So I want you to hand pick 10 Diclonius from the cells and allow them freedom. Think of it not only as the beginning for your freedom but theirs as well. Thus, you can see that I am truly a kind god."

"Y-Yes you are Kakuzawa-sama! Please forgive me for thinking dishonestly of you. I was young and foolish."

Smiling, Kakuzawa brushed his wrinkled hand over her head. "Do not be upset, it is only natural. I would like the male Diclonius down there to stay though." Nirlinya nodded. I understand Kakuzawa-sama. I can promise you, we will help you in your cause, because it means the greatness of all Diclonius.

Y-You promised me clothes?" She widened her eyes as Kakuzawa produced a small box, holding undergarments, a red shirt and dress. It looked stunning and it was, because Kakuzawa knew that if it wasn't, there was a chance she would not agree with him. He didn't need to worry, he could have given her rags and she'd still obey him, her mind and her body was his for the taking. He mentioned briefly on the intercom that a new recruitment had been added which was ended with the men from the other door roughly coming in. "Kakuzawa? What is the meaning…?"

"Excuse me?" Nirlinya yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the two armed me and producing a whirlwind around herself and Kakuzawa as if expecting the men to suddenly fire at the two men. "You are standing in the presence of god Kakuzawa-sama. If you don't have the courtesy to bow to him at least have some to address him with the proper respect. "Now bow, lest I decide to kill you."

The two men fidgeted, unsure of what was going on and thus, their delay of obeying a direct word of the girl earned the man on the left the feeling of decapitation. Struck dead, his partner gazed upwards in horror as the head soared above and landed behind his back with a soft pat. "W-Wait a minute! What's going on here Kakuzawa?"

*SMACK!*

Struck by an unseen force, the girl looked at the fallen man lividly that for a moment, he half expected to start foaming at the mouth. Kakuzawa in the meanwhile merely looked at him with a curious expression as if enjoying an interesting film. The girl however didn't see anything interesting at all, what she saw was a bastard human daring to speak to god with such distaste. Not bowing down before him, not referring to him with the correct honorific. Whenever a person came into contact with Kakuzawa they should prostrate themselves before him and refer to him as Kakuzawa-sama. Human nature perhaps, they were too stupid to understand their place but they couldn't be that stupid to deny god right? As far as she saw she was really beginning to question human nature and wondered just how these beasts actually managed to get to the top of the food chain.

The man, sprawled on the floor with a hand shaped red mark on his face scrambled back from the vicious young girl whose unseen arm raised to strike him down for good and looking over at Kakuzawa. "There is no need to get out of hand, I do need some of them alive for right now."

"B-But Kakuzawa-sama, he has besmirched your name, he has to die!"

"No Nirlinya, sometimes you've got to have a little control."

"…I'm sorry Kakuzawa-sama. Consider yourself lucky filth!" She spat, kicking the man in the ribs. "You wanted me to get a few of the Diclonius out right? I'll do that right away, also if you don't mind, I will accept the honorable name that you have given me even though I did have a first name. However I would like to keep my last name."

"That is fine." Kakuzawa mumbled, tilting his head forward for her to leave. Outside, she looked up at the ceiling, feeling amazed, feeling incredible and feeling reborn. "I also want to see Onee-sama again. I miss Onee-sama, even though she was a human…she was so kind to me. If I find Onee-Sama, I'll ask Kakuzawa-sama to spare her."

* * *

><p>Back in office (after having the one body removed of course) he got on the line, calling in to a certain person.<p>

"How are the tests going? Are they prepared?"

"Diana still can't be used, but the other three will be ready in about two days."

"Good, I expect that to happen…Nousou."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Next chapter done and complete. A new figure has appeared in the story, Nirlinya who now harbors a deep and almost zealous respect for Kakuzawa Senior. The self-proclaimed god of all Diclonius has made his plans and it would seem like they may fall in order very soon. It's all around pace of action and suspense, what will happen next time on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p>

Read, Review and Enjoy.


	43. Interruptions

**Chapter 42: Interruptions**

"Everyone keeps giving me strange looks…"

Sighing deeply, Yin put a comforting hand on the now shoulder of Alya Sandersas. "It's all your imagination Alya, just ignore them." Though his words were meant to calm the young Diclonius down, it was rather true that Elrya Alya was being given some rather strange looks. They couldn't see her horns due to the toboggan she wore and yet that was perhaps the cause of the looks in the first place. Nobody else was else was wearing any sort of head ware and thus, it was probably something strange indeed to see just one person wearing a hat after an entire broadcast on killer girls with horns had been announced.

"Alright, but I still don't like it, I swear I feel like I'm being watched by the police…or perverts." She moaned, eyeing a rather heinous grin on one man's face, the smell of booze already wafting through her nostrils. "I can tell that everyone is scared, even though they're trying to act normal, I can feel it in the air. Isn't that right Elrya?"

The young girl answered her thoughts back. "Yeah Alya, it feels so tense out here right now. The best thing to do is just keep going and ignore them I guess, we don't want to cause any unnecessary trouble. For someone who wants us to find him, Vladimir could've at least given us some helpful hints. Guess we have no choice, let's ask around."

"Ask?" Alya queried. "What do we just go up to somebody and say 'Hey, have you seen a large man with multiple rods sticking and is probably getting his kicks off of murder?"

"Well Vlad's easy to recognize, if anybody's seen him, they'll remember. A guy like that isn't hard to miss after all." Elrya answered back as Alya mentally nodded in agreement. "Yin…" Alya spoke out, catching the man's attention. "I'm going to start asking people if they know where Vladimir is, can you do the same?" But instead of agreeing, Yin instead pulled up a small newspaper dated about 3 days ago. It was rather strange because the place Alya noticed wasn't even in Kamakura. "Can you read it…I can't…you know…" She said, feeling rather embarrassed by the fact that she couldn't read.

Bringing it up to his face so he could see it, Yin read carefully the front page. "Mass Murder At Kyoto Restaurant. At 16:23 (4:23PM) a large man with several strange objects imbedded in his body was seen destroying the restaurant and committing murder on a grand scale. The total death count reached up to 21 people and reports of a young girl was last seen with the man. It is unknown if the person was an acquaintance or victim…need I go on?" Yin finally asked, lowering the newspaper down and once again placing his hand on the girl's now shaking shoulder.

"Th-That bastard…He's really gone and done it this time. My God I hope Miriana is alright." Elrya, coming to the front of the mind spoke aghast. "I guess you know where Kyoto is right?"

"Yes, but it's not exactly a short walk, our best bet would be to use the train."

Elrya was gazing out the window, watching the trees and buildings pass by in a blur. "First time I've ever been on a train, it's comfortable." She replied to her unofficial husband, leaning back against the leathery chair. "You know I've never got to experience anything like these before right Yin?" The young girl, feeling the warmth of Yin's hand against her face smiled and leaned against it.

"Well when this is all over, I'll be sure to show you the better sides that Japan has to offer. I have to admit though; I don't really like trains that much."

Tilting her head curiously to the side, Elrya mumbled. "R-Really? What don't you like about it?"

"A couple of years ago there was a pretty nasty incident on a train in Kamakura where two people were brutally killed. I remember it though because I could've been on that train. I had to make a sudden schedule change; otherwise I might not even be here myself."

Listening intently, Elrya understood what he was getting at. "That is…pretty bad, hope the sick person who did it didn't get away with it."

"Why don't you say that to my face then?"

Elrya, looking confused starred up at Yin. "Uhhh, ok if you want, I hope that whoever did that didn't get away with it." But Yin, looking just as confused muttered. "I didn't say anything." This time with both confusion etched on their faces, the two finally turned their heads together to see…

"LUCY!" Elrya shrieked, much louder than the specific woman sitting on the opposite end of the train's seats, a singular glare radiating from her pink bangs. She, like Elrya also wore a hat and though Yin had never seen the person before, her looks, outfit and rather murderous aura seemed to scream out already "Diclonius!" Elrya was already off her seat, silently thanking the world that they were currently alone in this specific train compartment and prepared to unleash a total can of revenge ass kicking. "It's time for a little pay back!"

Giving on one of her infamous devilish smirks, Lucy didn't get up but merely raised her physical hand and gave it a slight wave as if shooing off a fly. "That's some tough talk coming from a brat like you. Don't you remember the last time we fought, or do I need to break your body like I did last time? You should've just gone and died before, it would've saved me the trouble of having to finish you off now."

This time the smile came on Alya's face as she got into control, crossing her arms and looking smug. "Don't try to talk shit to us, unlike last time Elrya isn't alone anymore."

?

"Who are you?" The Queen muttered, seeing the expressive different in the girl.

"I'm Alya…Alya Sandersas. The only reason you were even able to beat Elrya in the first place was because I wasn't there to help her, but now that I am, well let's just say I'm feeling very confident that this fight wouldn't last 30 seconds." At such words, Lucy's glare intensified as she too rose up, Yin, with a bead of sweat dripping down his chin looked between the two Diclonius as a sudden and strange wind began to swarm through the compartment. "E-Elrya…Alya?"

"Yin…" Alya spoke out seriously. "Please get away from this compartment. I hope you don't mind Queenie but let's keep this fight here. I'd rather not bring anybody else into this fight." The two were prepared, arms released as it seemed another battle was going to be dished out. That was until Yin said, quite seriously to Elrya Alya. "Elrya Alya Sandersas!" He used her name like an actual parent scolding a child which both surprised and embarrassed the young Diclonius glanced at Yin. "As your husband I refuse to let you get into a fight with this young woman."

!

"Huh!" The poor thing couldn't have been any more flabbergasted at the moment. "B-But Yin, she's the one who…"

"I understand what she might have done, but there's no reason to get into a fight. You should save all of your energy when you save Miriana. Besides what would your friend think if you got into a fight right now on this train?" Elrya didn't need to think hard on Yin's words. Miriana, her best friend despised violence on so many levels. It would probably destroy her knowing her best friend was getting into a random fight on some petty revenge like this. Well, Vladimir was also a case of revenge too, just a stronger and much more personal level. "I-I understand…but that woman…"

"Elrya Alya Sandersas…" She really wished he would stop using her name like that. She felt more like a child now than an unofficial wife, and was blushing profusely, making her face bright red. "You are not going to be doing anything on my watch right now. You are going to sit down young lady until we get to Kyoto, not buts."

"B-But…"

"No buts."

Then, like a true spoiled child as if she didn't get the toy she wanted, Elrya sighed, sat back down, crossed her arms and pouted. "Yin's being mean today…" She mumbled childishly as Lucy looked both of them with slight amusement. "That's funny, being tamed by one of these rats."

A flash of cold red came from Elrya's eyes. "Don't you dare even talk about Yin like that. The only rat here right now is you!"

"So you're Lucy huh? You've been through a lot as well." Yin replied, seemingly the only one calm and if possible, unconcerned throughout the three of them. "People are looking for you, you should be careful and not make yourself known. But I digress, neither I nor Elrya Alya here have any reason to report you in or attack you. Isn't that right dear?"

"…I…guess…" The Diclonius pouted again, still feeling very upset. "You're lucky Lucy…"

"Heh…whatever you say brat. The lucky one is you though, I just happened to be in enough of a good mood to let you live. I already beat you before so I'm content as it is. I would like to ask though, why can't I sense you?"

"That's for me to know and for you to never find out." Elrya growled back. She kept her body turned at an angle so that she was partially obscuring Yin as if afraid Lucy would suddenly attack him. Had she been able to sense Diclonius herself, she wouldn't have gotten on train herself. Just the negatives of the operation she supposed, still staring spitefully at the pink haired woman. While the room was still tense, perhaps even more tense than before Elrya had finally given up on trying to get revenge and remained content to just lean against Yin's shoulder. Lucy meanwhile got up, causing a ripple of anxiety to rip through Elrya's body as she saw it as act of violence considering Lucy wasn't exactly a temperate person to begin with. But apparently Lucy was not about to start a fight but forcibly pulling the train doors open so that the rush of wind bursting thorough certainly caught them by surprise.

"Wh-What are you doing!" Elrya cried out, shielding her face and using her vectors to keep Yin from somehow flying out of the door. Lucy, holding the edge of the door ways with her corporeal hands to keep herself from being sucked only gave her a pass away glance. "There's too much foolishness going on in here. I'm leaving."

Yin, closing one his eyes as the winds violently bashed against his face, flicking his black hair all around, said rather sadly. "What a poor thing, instead of just running away from your past, why don't you just accept it. In fact, for a start, why don't you come with us." At these words Elrya quickly turned around and made a very definite X-shaped mark with her arms, shaking her head wildly. Lucy on her part only scoffed at the words though if possible looked a little more complacent than she had before. "Your little girl is right, I don't need to help any humans."

"Well before you go, Queenie, mind if I ask a quick question?" The other Diclonius murmured.

"Why not…go ahead."

"What was up that Nyu stuff before?"

Narrowing her eyes, Lucy threw back her head in disgust and turned away. "It's nothing that concerns you. Be lucky that I'm letting both of you live anyways." At those words she took her arms and leapt out the train, flying through air and disappearing in a blur behind the compartment. Halfway ready to run out and go after her, Elrya sighed deeply and using her arms closed the compartment door. "Hmph! Conceited woman. Are you alright Yin?"

"I'm fine, thanks. Please sit down and rest, I don't want you thinking too much on unneeded stuff, especially on a person like her."

"…Alright."

* * *

><p>The dark clouds hovered above, no longer in Kamakura, Roy had brought Bando to a different location, a rather small place with a specific building that seemed to have an oddly large amount of security to it. "This is the place huh?" Bando growled, sticking to the tree and glancing up at the white structure. "It's huge, and there are guards everywhere. You sure this is the weakest of the bunch?"<p>

"Positive." Roy answered back, scanning the area with his eyes. "I guess with all that's happened, they may have amped up security. We don't have a choice anymore, it's now or never. There's no need to start a fight though with them, not if we can help it. The only thing we need to do is free the Diclonius."

"Helping those horned freaks, I must be losing my mind." Bando muttered coldly, rolling his eyes and checking the surroundings as well. "Where are these girls located?"

"More than likely in the basement area. We need to…huh?" Stopping his sentence, Roy glanced as Bando's cell phone silently vibrated and the moment he answered was given an answer of "BANDO!" of somebody who sounded like they were in dire trouble. Bando, putting the phone away from his ears, quickly answered back in his gruff voice. "Wh-What the hell girl! Stop blabbering and tell me what's wrong!"

"HELP! WANTA WAS…NANA WAS…!"

"Dammit girl, calm your nerves and tell me what's wrong! Where are you at?"

"Uh! Ummm…31214 Lu…"

*Bzt* *beep* *beep* *beep*

"What was that about?" Roy yelled while Bando tightened his grip around the phone. "Shit! I have to go, you can handle this alone man!" He roared, suddenly sprinting off much to Roy's displeasure. "W-Wait! Bando what the hell! Shit, seriously of all the bad timing." He mumbled, turning around and glaring off at the white structure again. "Well then, I'll assume you've got a damn good reason for bailing on me mate, here we go…Sniper."

And with a quick lunge he raced off to the facility.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Next chapter complete, Elrya and Yin surprisingly managed to run into Lucy yet luckily a fight which was about to break was thankfully settled, though by no means did it please Elrya Alya. But there is no time to become involved with Lucy at the moment as Elrya Alya and Yin continue their journey to save Miriana from the demented clutches of Vladimir Cents. Meanwhile Bando and Roy prepare to infiltrate the first facility but a bit of bad luck forces Bando into a timely retreat. Left alone, Roy now has to go alone. What will happen next on "Pinpoint Lifeline."<p>

R&R


	44. Rescue Mission A

**Chapter 43: Rescue Mission (A)**

"_This is our daughter, Elrya Alya, the wonderful fruit of my and Ishiori's love. Look at her Garder, can you really say that this innocent looking child is to grow up to be a monster? How can you joke about something so heinous Garder, certainly that isn't the case? Besides, even if she is a bit different from us, that doesn't mean she'll end up being like you said she will. Love, care, compassion, that's everything this child needs…_

_She's not bad, just a little different but not unloved. Please don't leave her, please for Ishori's sake, at least treat her like she was your own daughter. She can change, I know she can, she can definitely change. _

_Also…you should smile a little more Garder. Ever since the war, you've always had that same dark expression on your face and it scares me."_

…

"_Hey little Elrya, do you like mommy's warm hands? Do you want mommy to sing you a song? A little song for you to sleep?_

_Would you like that?_

…_My little Elrya Alya?_

…

…

"_Do you see the raindrops spreading over across the ground_

_Filling it with all the senses of pain and sadness?_

_Do you see the tears trickling down every single cheek_

_Desperately wanting to fulfill a single joy?_

_Look upon the sky and see with all of your heart_

_A fragment of a melody._

_Look upon the clear green ground and tell me what you see now_

_As the wind blows wide and free._

* * *

><p>"Garder…"<p>

"…Garder!"

Opening his black slit eyes, Garder pushed his lopsided glasses up his nose while simultaneous brushing a thick lock of graying black hair from his eyes. One of the staff members that worked for him had apparently come in and woken him up from a short nap he was taking. He sat at his desk, leaning against the arm chair one hand set upon the desk, still holding the black pen between his fingers. "I fell asleep, perhaps I am getting older than I thought." He mumbled in his head, staring up at the young woman before him.

"Is something wrong Garder?" She asked rather timidly, rather frightened by Garder's excessively stern attitude. Garder had given them the orders to continue their job as they had always done and that he himself would take care of the business involving Kakuzawa and the other Diclonius.

"Nothing is wrong, I am growing old and I merely fell asleep. Perhaps retirement is coming around the corner. I am fine Yotorawa, go and let me get back to work."

The young woman nodded once, bowing and taking the clipboard in her hand, she went for the door, opening and closing it behind her. "I don't know if you even know it yourself Garder…" She thought, seeing the elder figure relaxing back in his chair and writing on a blank piece of paper.

"…But…just a moment ago…

…you were crying."

* * *

><p>Roy stationed himself against the wall, sighing deeply but silently to himself and poking his head around the corner. "Seriously, why the hell did they have to have so many freaking guards on duty right now? If Kakuzawa is so desperate to make the Diclonius the superior species, wouldn't it be better just to release them all? Damn it, of all the things to make my life harder and that bastard soldier just had to run off and do his own business." As he thought, he kept a close watch on his surroundings, making sure to stay covered.<p>

"I can't risk shooting any of them, even though I could hit all of them without being seen, I don't want to cause any unnecessary commotions right now. Crap, getting through the front doors isn't happening." He thought angrily, eyeing the 6 well armed men patrolling the front gate. Swinging around, he raced to other side of the wall before stopping and poking his head around the other corner. "Shit!" Cursing again in his head, he counted another 5 guards patrolling through the outside area, semi-automatic rifles poised over their shoulders. "Not making my job any easier Kakuzawa, note to self, smash foot in old bastard's face. Alright Roy, what are you going to do. It isn't much but there are less guards here on this side, and there's a door leading to the facility though I have no idea where exactly. However there's no way I can get past that one with the way things are."

The blue haired man turned away, resting his back against the wall to collect his thoughts together. "What I need to do is drag their attention to something else without making it too obvious that there's somebody here. Something that's worth checking out but not worth causing an entire outcry over." At such a though, Roy once again poked his head around the white walled corner, glancing all around and seeing a sign plastered on the wall right at the edge of the door. It was well enough that he could read it with such large letterings.

"**Duty Switch At Bell Chime"**

"Bell chime huh? What does…?" Before noticing and a rather obscured angle a small tower holding what could only be described as a very ancient looking silver bell. Roy, glaring at it for a long time chuckled deeply in his throat. "How interesting, is it not enough to just use the speakers? Perhaps that is the case and this bell was used as such long ago. However even if that sign is old, the ringing bell should still gather their attentions. Let's do this my little friends." Muttering the last words to himself, he let 4 of his bullets float in the air, twisting and churning with a small buzz around his face. He'd have to hit the bell hard enough for it to give a boastful ring yet light enough so his bullets didn't actually pierce through it. Though he could make it ring just as loudly either way, he feared too much trouble would happen if people found bullet holes in it.

*Whish* *Whish* *Whish* *Whish*

*RIIINNNG!*

It was definitely old; the noise it made was almost grating on Roy's ears. The sign must have definitely have been old, there was no way they'd use something like that no a days. But a bell's specific sound didn't matter, just the actions the others would partake and what happened was quite pleasing to the Sniper as he brought his bullets back. "Urgh! What's up with the bell? They think this is a funny idea of letting us off work?"

"Who cares, it might be a false alarm but let's just pretend it is the duty shift." Mumbling together, the men, much to Roy's pleasure, walked away, mostly heading to the bell as Roy took his chance to race towards the door and go inside.

* * *

><p>In the corner, Nana was already out, the two iron spiked balls imbedded in her belly and side incapacitating her with the pain making her go in and out of consciousness. Wanta, the small white dog lay with blood dripping from its small mouth, the tiny twitch of its left front leg the only thing indicating that it was alive. Lastly, Mayu flung to the floor was starring fearfully into the eyes of the sick bastard in the black coat, the most heinous of smiles placed upon his face.<p>

"It really is true…" He hissed, sickeningly licking the 14 year old's face with his hot tongue, causing Mayu to shudder involuntarily. "A person's face, really will come to haunt you. You could've made this whole mess a lot easier if you just fucking obeyed me. Would've just had your little cherry popped and that would've been it. Oh well…" Swinging the unique weapon that murdered Vorono, the iron spiked ball faced the poor girl's face, eyes widening by a large margin.

"You know, you might have had a pretty face when you grew up…

…CHEERIO BITCH!"

*BAM!*

"GUAH!" His pride as well as a good 3 of his front teeth were smashed straight out of his face as massive foot slammed straight into it. Dazing in and out of consciousness, the beady black eyes swung around, widening as he saw the ever familiar brown hair and black sunglasses. "Y-You…motherfucker!" Not even letting him fall back, Bando's hand rushed out, grasped the man by the collar and brought him forward.

"Mother…!"

*BASH!*

Flung backwards, the dark man in black staggered, trying to collect his balance before falling straight on his behind. Cracking his knuckle menacingly, the face of the soldier starred down at his opponent lividly. "Long time no see…bastard." Bando growled.

"Bando-san!" Mayu cried out, stepping back as Bando roared at her. "Stay back, I'll handle this. It was had enough finding this damn place in the first place. Now Sir, I believe I'm going to continue to kick your sorry ass."

"WATCH OUT!" Mayu cried, appearing distraught. Not wasting a single second, the crossbow swung out almost of thin air, and the shot was fired. Yet this time, there was no sound of metal against flesh, but instead metal against metal. Artificial hand swinging out, the soldier caught the ball in his metallic hand, squeezing it before mockingly throwing it up into the air and catching it. "That shit won't work this time bastard, fool me once shame on me, fool me twice, fuck you!" In a desperate and cruel act, the dark man placed another piece of ammo in, took aim and fired with perfect precision. Yet the strike only hit the wall behind Bando's head, the man having ducked with easily. "I thought I told you…" He uttered, raising his arm with the ball still clutched in his hand.

"W-W-Wait! Wait! This is a misunderstanding!"

*BASH!*

"THAT SHIT WON'T WORK THIS TIME!" Struck against by his own weapon, this time right in the center of gut, the twisted black haired man fell into a heap of pain and tears. "Fuck! Fuck! Not again! Not again! Fuck you! Fuck you! Fu…" Spewing out a stream of almost incomprehensible curses this time, Bando pulled out his desert eagle, and took aim. "You've deserved this much sooner than even you know. Let's end this right…Gah!"

Yet Mayu only pushed his hand out of the way, the bullet hitting the wall instead of the man's head. "What the hell is wrong with you! Are you stupid or something?" But Mayu only clutched the soldier's hand, trying to keep him from taking aim at the man again. "You can't kill him! I know he's really bad but you can't be a killer like that!"

"Go to be kidding me…" he moaned, shaking his head disappointedly. "Seriously she's like that brat Miriana. You must be joking girl, if I let him go, he's only going to screw up another person! Now stand back!" Roaring the last words, Bando again took aim, ready to pull the trigger and stopping as Mayu desperately put her arms out in front of the dark man. "I-I'm sorry, I can't let you do it Bando-san! I know you're a good person at heart!"

"K-Kuh…Y-You…idiot…" Hissing under his breath, Bando whipped his gun away, pushed Mayu roughly out and grabbed the man by his collar again, lifting him up single handedly and placing his gun directly against his forehead. "ONE FUCKING WARNING!" He roared, pressing the muzzle so hard against the man's head it would certainly leave a mark. "This is your one and only fucking warning I'm going to give you, pedophile! The next time you get in our way, the next time I see you trying to so much as litter, I'll blow a fucking hole right through your head." With those encouraging words, Bando pushed the twisted person away. Crawling back on all fours, Bando watched hatefully as the man made a mad rush for the door, wobbling out as the poison coursed through his body. "Ugh…shit! I'm getting too soft for my own good…Ugh!" Caught off guard, Bando wasn't prepared for the small girl to roughly embrace him in a tight hug.

"Guh! Get off! Alright! Alright! Seriously stop it! I've saved your sorry self, my debt to you is complete. Ah…something smell's horrible in here…" He muttered, before seeing the dead, mutilated body of Number 28 sticking halfway out of her container. "Hmph…even for a horned freak…she probably didn't need to go through something like that, eh…the other one's pretty beaten up as well." He said, gazing at Nana's fallen body. "Get me some wine, or alcohol, or something. Can't do much right now but I'll try to fix up her wounds. Don't worry about her either…" Bando groaned, pointing at the dead body of Number 28. "I'll bury her somewhere nice with a good view. Freaking soft…" He added in his head.

* * *

><p>With Nana sleeping peacefully and Wanta having regained consciousness, Bando cracked his knuckles again, massaging his shoulder and lighting a quick smoke. The container holding Number 28's body hung over his shoulders. "By the way, what is this place? It took me forever to find this place, besides I thought you were staying in that one little inn."<p>

Mayu gazed down at her feet. "There was some sort of accident; it was horrible, bodies everywhere. We decided it would be best to stay here at Yuka's mother place. The worst part of it, we can't find Nyu and…Ah!" Gasping, Mayu clasped her hands around her mouth but the deed had already been done. Bando was neither foolish nor stupid and his dark gaze suddenly swung on the girl where his eyes, despite being hidden behind his sunglasses, seem to blaze with a burning fury. "Excuse me, but it sounds like you've been living with that woman…"

"Th-That's not it! It's just…!" Caught by surprise, Bando lunged and grabbed the poor girl by the scruff of her shirt, lifting her up. "Don't play me for a fool! Lucy! Nyu! Whatever the fuck they call her now a days, she's been living with you this whole time! You have the freaking number, you could have called! Should have called!" Literally spitting on her face in his rant, Bando was no mood for any sort of bullshit whatsoever. His soldier genes going into overload, he cared for nothing if he planted his metallic fist straight into a child's face. There was one reason and one reason only he joined that group, helping out that freak of a girl Elrya and that the hopes that he would run into Lucy at some point. Knowing that this girl had been keeping his prey away from him, knowingly as well, set his rage to the maximum level. As if to signify just how much his burning hate was rising, his yellow vision seemed to brighten as if the sun had suddenly appeared in the room.

However, even during his violent fit, something had registered on Bando's mind. "Wait a second, this Nyu…or Lucy…that bitch!" He yelled out finally, still holding Mayu up by the scruff of her shirt. "…You said you couldn't find her. Something about an accident with multiple bodies huh?" An accident, it didn't take long for the soldier to realize what had happened, even if he didn't know the complete details. "Which means…talking to you is pointless." With those cold words, he roughly threw Mayu back to the group, the young girl wincing painfully as she rolled on her side.

"I don't ever want to see your face here again." Bando growled, eliciting a small set of tears to flow down the black haired girl's face. Heading to the door with the container of Number 28, Bando left, caring for little about the cries coming from the house. He didn't care for the dead Diclonius but he was going to give her, true to his word, at least a decent burial spot. He came to a small place near the beach, near some rough dirt that would make it hard for anybody to unbury her, if such the case might be. It was rough and hardly dignified but at its location, the sunset would rise above and shine on the makeshift grave. "Tsk…what a worthless trip this has been. Time to get back to Roy now and…"

Spotting something out of the corner of his eye, he watched as a group of people, soldiers no doubt as he recognized the SAT uniforms being led by…

"…What?" He mumbled, seeing the ever familiar black hat. It didn't take long for Bando to realize what was going on. Still, what did he care about the stupid brat anyways? She lied to him and thus she would pay for her actions. Grumbling under his breath, Bando turned around, walked away and hoping maybe they wouldn't see him. He had more pressing businesses to take care, no time to save a brat twice.

Walking away…

Walking away as a small bead of sweat fell from his chin.

Fist shaking violently.

"Kuh…Kuh…G-G…

…GOD DAMMIT ALL!" And roaring as loud as he could before racing back to the house as fast as he could.

* * *

><p>Due to the distance between Kamakura and Kyoto, it was going to take a little while before the train got to its destination. With Lucy gone and the threat of an all-out fight gone, Elrya Alya was gently resting her head against Yin's side, the sound of her soft snores filling the young man's ears. He gently, as not to wake her up, pushed her lopsided hat upwards, covering the small white bump that made her species into what it was. Face calm and serene, sleeping ever so peacefully, it made the young man wonder how this girl could ever become a murderer. Yet, he had seen more than enough to believe Roy.<p>

"A stalled reflex eh? I won't let that happen Alya, I promise I'll protect you no matter the cost." He thought, the young girl gently moving her body in her sleep subconsciously. What an adventure he had gotten into, all of it starting when Elrya had accidently bashed her head against the wall. Who knew that his life was going to change this much?

"Elrya…Alya…it's time to wake up."

"Eh?" Groggy, the young Diclonius rubbed her eyes, looking out the window at the terminal. "Ah, here already? I wish I could get some more sleep, glad we're here though." Getting off, the place in Kyoto was just as tense as it was in Kamakura and Alya seemed to be certain that everyone was giving her a dirty look. "Stupid people…" She muttered, almost comically and yet Yin found nothing funny about it.

"It's alright Alya, it's just your imagination." He needed to calm her down, he didn't want anything to happen and yet fate seemed to be conspiring against them because they were suddenly stopped by a rouge officer.

"Sorry, can I help you officer?" Yin asked politely.

"Yes, you…young lady…as a direct order I need you to remove your hat."

And the tenseness only grew more.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Sorry for the heavy delay, but at last the new chapter is now up. What will happen next on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p>

R&R


	45. Rescue Mission B

**Chapter 44: Rescue Mission (B)**

"Eh, typical facility…" Roy thought, glancing around at the white room for a split second before diving against the wall, and listening to the sound of footsteps. He kept his cool, and when the coast was clear made another dash across the room, doing his best to keep himself hidden. He knew that eventually he'd have to deal with them, not unless he could get all those Diclonius away without being caught on the radar. It was something that was better left un-thought of since it was all but entirely impossible.

"Now…basement…basement…where's the damn basement? Crap!" He cursed internally, hiding again and waiting for the footsteps. He continued onwards, taking several detours and finally he reached what he could only assume to be his destination. A flight of curved stairs leading down to what he could only hope to be the basement. About to head down, good ol' fate decided to pay Roy a visit.

"Stop! Don't move!"

"GUH!" Cursing madly in his head, Roy turned around, seeing an armed man aiming his rifle at him. Any thoughts of trying to fool him were out the window, not unless there was another blue haired, armless staff member around. The man, his black hair drooping over his face was a first a bit startled about what he saw. For half a second he had almost cried "Put your hands up!" Only to realize that said man didn't have any hands to raise up anyways. Of all the people he thought he'd meet, he certainly hadn't expected to meet someone who looked about as much of a threat as a rabbit. He had no arms for crying out loud, how'd he even get past security up front?

"Declare your intentions! How did you get past security!" He yelled, his voice unnaturally high pitched.

No point in lying. "I'm here on a rather unique operation, to save the little psychotic brats down in the basement."

"Fool! That's the stupidest thing you could ever do! Get against the wall now you bastard!"

Roy, shrugging his shoulder's tilted his head to the side, sighing under his breath. "Didn't you hear me, get against the fucking wall and don't move!" Roy still didn't move, only giving the man a quizzical look before asking simply. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have some sort of key to open the Diclonius cells? Even a bunch of half-wits like you would have some sort of defense measure." At such words, the guard scoffed, aiming his rifle and glaring at such a stupid man. Why he was such an idiot was beyond him, but hey, what was he going to complain about. All this would mean would be an extra pay check from the boss.

*BANG!*

"GUAH!" But it was not the screams of Roy that hit the air, but the screams of the man as two his fingers blew off, dropping the rifle with a loud thud by his feet. Swerving around, his eyes darted back and forth, trying to find a shooter that couldn't possibly be hidden away. "Ah! My fingers! My fingers! Who shot me!"

Roy, for his part merely looked pleasantly surprised and looked around too. "Oh my, looks like we have a few more people here." Such a thing was impossible, they were in such a position that there was no way anybody else could've hid themselves and shot him at any sort of angle. It was only when he saw the spiraling bullet floating by Roy's head before the blue haired man caught it mundanely between his teeth. "Y-You bastard…who the hell are you?"

"Me?" Roy stated with a simplistic leer in his eyes. "I'm a specialize assassin of the most unique sorts, and unless you want this bullet to go through your head, I suggest you help me out…mate." He added, putting on his best Australian accent that he could. His smile vanished for a second as the man laughed, thinking he could outwit Roy.

"You're the idiot, if you need my help then you won't shoot me anyways! Besides, you can't control those bitches, they'll slaughter you in a heartbeat!" But yet this time the smiles switched places between the two men as Roy smirked, revealing the broad white grin with the silver bullet hanging between the right side of his mouth. "I will admit you may be right about the controlling part. Honestly I never got too far in the plan with how I'm supposed to get them to follow me. Unfortunately, Diclonius can be real annoying at times, especially ones who rip body parts off…or who have distinctive impression of two instincts yapping to each other for years. Ah the hell with it, Diclonius are just plain out freaking annoying. Yet, you see mate, the brats have sort of grown on me, and I have an obligation of an old friend of mine to fulfill.

Ah…and about the previous thing about me not killing you. Well your partially correct. I won't kill you…unless you don't help me."

*BANG!*

"Ugh!" Shot through the shoulder, blood dripping freshly to the ground, the guard staged back, trying to reach for the radio by his side. It as well as the pieces of more of his fingers fell to the floor, as the man screamed , clutching finger stumps with finger stumps. "How..dare…you shoot me! I really will die! I'll bleed to death!"

"No you won't…not yet at least. So what are you going to now mate? Are you going to help me or not?" Scared to die, the guard was unable to say no, and nodded solemnly, trying to stifle the tears streaming from his eyes. "My fingers…I need help…I really will die if…"

"Shut up…" The Sniper growled, instantly silencing the man right there on the spot. "I had both my freaking arms torn off and I lived, trust me when I say that if you die, it won't be because your fingers are bleeding mate. Now I assume down here is where the Diclonius are correct?" Roy smiled as the man nodded, tears still streaming down his face along with the drips of blood from his besmirched fingers. "Very good, you are going to lead me down there and you are going to help me rescue them." The man hesitated for a moment, still trying to stifle the ungodly pain rushing through his hands.

"Y-Your such a fool…even if we do let them out…"

The blue haired man clicked his tongue, annoyed with this conversation. "You have 5 seconds to start leading me down there. 5…4…" There was no need to continue speaking, the guard nodded, sucking on the remnants of his hands and spitting the blood on the ground when the taste became too to bear. Leading him down to the basement. As Roy thought, it really wasn't much different from what he had expected. A singular long hallway, dull silver from the eroding iron cells fixed with specific anti-Diclonius walls. As also expected, the inhabitants were dirty, nude and malnourished, some of them giving him dirty looks but most of them merely huddled on the ground, grasping their knees and trying to collect some of the few precious minutes of sleep. He'd admit that he didn't feel anything for them, he was an assassin in the end, a cold blooded killer trained to kill such children without a second thought of hesitation. Yet, no doubt because of a certain multi-haired girl, he did feel a bit of pity for them.

There were currently 100 Diclonius stationed with the weakest of the facilities, so once again any thoughts of getting them all out without causing ruckus was completely out of the question. Stepping towards the front of the gate, he spoke out to the frail children and young adults. "How are you all doing kiddies? Must've been having a hard time, living in such a shitty place as this. I'll cut to the chase…how'd you like me to let you all out?"

There was no movement, only more glares which might have indicated that fools have given them such false wishes in the first place. "I only have one thing to say to you all though, once I let you out, you have to follow my word and lead to the core. I don't want…"

"Quiet…"

If only amused by her small voice, Roy stopped talking when a young girl, no older than 15 stared with an undying hate at him. "Liars…your just like the rest." She spat out, holding her body as if it had hurt which might've been the case as there were several scars surrounding her. She had obviously been experimented on recently. The blue haired man sighed deeply, tilting his head to the side to look at her. "I can promise you this is no lie, I'm here to get you out of here and all I ask is that you help me in return. I don't know if you know this anyways but a lot has happened outside this facility."

They weren't going to believe him that easily, and Roy could already see the imprints of hands on the defensive walls trying to reach for him. Such action made the guard step back in alarm but Roy, as usual, kept his cool through the whole ordeal. "Liar! You humans are all the same…why would you want to help us anyways."

At such words Roy's expression suddenly changed, becoming pitiful and almost sad. It was something that most of the Diclonius in there hadn't expected and their reaction, if only a little bit, softened. "I will not lie to you, I don't exactly hate your kind but neither do I care about it. If you all died right now, it wouldn't matter to me. I am an assassin, specifically trained to kill your species. However it was my idea to set you free, because it may surprise you but not all humans are complete assholes.

I also made a promise to an old friend, that I would take his desires and make it my own." He uttered, feeling the compression of Vorono's shirt against his side. "What he desired, was to give at least some joy and happiness to those poor things trapped in here. You don't have to believe me and I don't plan on making you believe me either. If I'm lying, then I lied and you go back living the same shitty life you've always lived. Yet I could be telling the truth although if I have to prove it here.

You…open the gates."

The guard hesitated as Roy knew he would. "Open it now!" It was clear the man thought this idea was the worst possible but he brought out a small strange shaped key, if it could be called such a thing. It was metallic and silver, but shaped in a way that he front end curved out in three separate directions. He placed into the slot at one of the gates and stopped, his hands still shaking. Then…with sweat and tears streaming down his face, he clicked the lock open.

As expected, most of the girls got up, seeming curious at what had just happened. With springs of the locks coming undone, the gates slid open. Abandoning any pretense, the guard fell back on his bottom and slid against the opposite wall, the pain of his fingers no longer mattering to him anymore. He was plainly frightened to death right now. This was certainly unexpected and the young girls continued to remain where they were, someone walking forward but none walking out.

"I still don't believe you…" The young one who had spoken to Roy earlier mumbled, her eyes still expressing the same illicit hatred as before.

"Very well then close the doors…" Roy said nonchalantly. There was suddenly a mass movement of feet as every Diclonius most hastily rushed out and stood around like a bunch of nude school children in an auditorium. "As I thought…" Roy uttered with a small smile upon his face, checking to see if anyone else was still inside their cages. "Right…now this is how…"

"I'm hungry!"

Roy narrowed his eyes. "Ya…I'm kind of hungry myself. We don't have time to eat…we have…"

"Stop looking at my breasts!"

A small vein appeared on the blue haired man's head before taking three deep breaths to calm himself down. "I can assure you that is the last thing I'm looking at right now. Enough of these antics I say, we need to…"

"I have to go potty!"

"PISS ON THE FLOOR THEN!" Roy roared, his rage finally enticed to the maximum. "No more talking! All of you shut the hell up right now! My god you people are so fucking annoying right now! Seriously no wonder you get yourselves locked up in cages, I'd lock you up to for being a bunch of annoying half twit brats! Here's the plan, oh and if I haven't been clear on this yet, shut the hell up! We're heading out, more than likely were going to face opposition. By all means, get rid of any opposition but only that. The truth is we aren't here to create a bloodbath so tell that little instinctive voice inside your head to keep its cool here. Only attack those who are attacking you. After which you can thank me later for saving your sorry pale asses. Now…any quick questions?"

…

"…I'm thirsty!"

"DRINK YOUR SPIT!" Roy yelled back.

* * *

><p>Elrya stared blankly at the cop who had already taken a few steps back in preparation, his hand already reaching for the semi-automatic pistol by his side. Not that it would've mattered much even if he did try to shoot her, but it would of course create a bunch of chaos when everyone around then discovered there was one of those murderous girls that man had spoken of before in their midst. "M-My hat?" She asked timidly, going as far as to put her hands up to said hat and pull it tightly over her ears.<p>

"I…don't really want to do that…you see…"

"Bastard!" Alya whispered internally as the gun was raised. Yin too looked nervously, obviously not because he was worried his girl would get shot but just as Elrya knew as well, the turmoil it would cause everyone.

"Remove it…now."

"But sir…I'm…well I'm…"

"She's bald!" Yin yelled out suddenly, raising his hands up. "She's got cancer and wears a hat to hide her ugly disfigurement."

"Y-Yeah…I have whatever he just said…canca-some-whatsamacallit…"

The gun was raised.

"Please sir! She's very uptight about her looks. Please don't make her show her terribly ugly face to the poor people around here."

Elrya nodded. "Yeah…please don't make me…what?" She added suddenly, looking darkly at Yin. "I'm sure even with my apparent 'baldness' I'm not that ugly Yin. That was a pretty mean thing to say."

*Click*

"Shit…" Alya thought, vectors already emerging as the gun clicked, the trigger about to fire. She felt honestly kind of bad about the man, as she knew no shot from a regular pistol would ever get past her defenses. Elrya, gulping loudly slowly put her hands up to her hat and removed it. Eyes widening, the officer took several steps back, raised gun now shaking heavily in both hands. It became apparent that the crowded city had become silent and not in the mourning the loss of the fellow citizens in Kamakura kind of way either. The kind of silence that said "wow, your shit out of luck." Yin himself kept glancing at the white bumps upon his girl's head then at the faces of the people around him, some of whom just looked like dear caught in the headlights.

"NOBODY MOVE!" Screaming suddenly, she pulled a shocked Yin, placing her corporeal fingers to his head and glaring at the officer and people around her. "Any of you make any sudden movements and I'll bust his brain outside his freaking skull!" There was increase in tension from everybody but the expression that she saw on most people was just confusion, until it finally hit her. "Yeah…" She thought heavily. "I guess it does look kind of weird that I'm apparently not holding any weapons to him. With that thought she quickly yanked the gun from the officer's hand, surprising him and using her invisible hand to point the gun to Yin's face who's expression remain still one of confusion and not of fear.

"Doesn't this seem kind of redundant?" Yin asked. "I mean you got the gun."

"First time holding someone hostage, I'm kind of new at it." She answered back, turning to the people around here. Now listen up…I…what's up Yin?" She asked, as her unofficial husband softly pulled himself away, lightly brushing himself off and answering her. "Your taking this way too seriously, I think we just need to politely tell them the truth and how you aren't a bad…do I hear sirens?" Sure enough, streaming down the road, cruisers and armed vehicles poured into the area, out jumping hoards of men in black, their weapons raised almost at an instant. Alya's personality jumped to the front, noticing something particular about them. "Those weapons…they're anti-Diclonius guns."

Yin looked at her. "So that means…"

"Yes…they're part of one of the facilities, I know those uniforms and types of weapons anywhere." She said heavily, her arms emerging but creating no wind as not entice them. At 15 men, trying to attack them would be suicide, separately they're nothing but a group such as this holding weapons that could actually get past her defenses was something to be alarmed at. "How could they have gotten here so fast though?" Alya thought to herself and therefore Elrya as well.

"It can't be Garder…he doesn't have a way to lock onto us. If I had to venture a guess…" Elrya thought as answer to Alya. "I think these are part of another facility. Roy said that including Garder and Kakuzawa's, there are 5 facilities in Japan. Maybe we're near one of those five as well."

Agreeing mentally, Alya's answer however was still arrogant. "Well that's good to know, doesn't help us much out in this situation. Damn humans, always stepping into businesses that doesn't concern them. I'm going to…" Before stopping in her mental rant, Alya as if sensing her own burning hatred getting out of control tried to calm herself down. Trying to pick a fight right now was something that just wasn't wise and the young Diclonius raised her hands above her head, knowing that for a person like her that didn't mean much but it at least meant she was partially trying to come forth without a fight.

"NOBODY MOVE!" Like some sort of comical game where players took turns, Yin suddenly grabbed the floating gun from Elrya, pressing it against a quite shocked Diclonius' face and glaring angrily at the startled soldiers. "If any of you motherfuckers take even another step forward, I really will blow this bitches head off." Seeing the strange sense of play, Elrya couldn't help but smile internally. "Nice acting…" She whispered which suddenly got her a bash against the head from the gun he was holding.

"Shut up!"

"OW! Why did you hit me!"

*BAM!*

"Gah! Sorry!" She suddenly cried out, wiping her watery eyes and giving Yin strange looks that clearly said "Why are you hitting me, I get the idea!" The men themselves seemed absolutely perplexed about was going on as this had been the first time they'd ever seen a human take a Diclonius hostage. "Nobody is going to follow us…anybody who does…I kill her and 20 more people!" Yin yelled out, slowly stepping back and then making swerve around the corner, rushing out as he heard several footsteps take chase. Luckily he managed to get into an area that broke off into several sections, soon leaving his adversaries behind. Elrya, finally breaking out of Yin's grip clutched her head painfully.

"Ouch! Seriously why did you have to hit me for? I knew what was going on, why are you taking it so seriously?"

"Uhhh…s-sorry dear, I guess I kind of got carried away." Yin said apologetically. "Yes you did!" The young girl cried out, still holding her head and wincing at the wound. "You owe me for doing that Yin Sandersas!"

"I love you."

"That's not enough!" The Diclonius cried out. "You need to make it up in the best way possible! Something that'll make up for hitting me so hard with that damn gun! Ugh, I feel like my head is swimming. Seriously Yin why did you have to hit me so hard!" She whined out loud, gazing up at him with her best puppy dog eyes that she could muster. Yin, feeling rather bad about how he had taken the situation, especially when he had told her to calm down herself, ruffled the girl's hair, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

"All better now?"

She continued to glare at him, and then put her head on his chest. "Yes…" She mumbled softly, rubbing up against him like some sort of lost animal. "This is going to make things a little harder now though." She spoke up, her voice becoming serious. "They know that I, a Diclonius, am out here right now. I wanted to try to go through this without catching anyone's attention, it looks like it didn't work.

"I'm afraid about going to jail." Yin mumbled, only imagine the kind of crap he had gotten himself into now. What a crazy day. "Elrya…Alya, if you don't mind I think it would be a good idea to find some sort of place to stay for the day. A hotel or motel, although it might be best to kind of move away from this location. I don't know how good of a catch they had on our faces but it's either that or we sleep in the alley."

Alya scoffed at the thought. "I'm not going to sleep like an animal anymore. If we have problems, I'll deal with it."

"Feel like getting something to eat dear?" The black haired man finally asked after a few minutes, watching as the young girl placed her long hat back on her head. "That's sound wonderful; I'm starving after such a rough day as this. Can you rub my head again Yin…it still hurts" She cried out, giving him another one of her saddened looks. Smiling kindly at her, Yin once again ruffled her hair, letting the young Diclonius slide her head against him. She reached up, pecked him on the check with a small blush on her face and then looked down at the black pistol in his hand. "You going to keep carrying that gun around?"

"I think so, self-defense." Yin replied rather hastily, almost having forgotten it was still in his hand. He had never held a gun before, much less shot one and the feeling of it in his hand was rather strange. He didn't even know the mechanics of it and could only assume that the only thing he needed to do was pull the trigger. Nevertheless he put the pistol inside of his bag, hoping that it wouldn't randomly go off and turned back around to face Elrya Alya.

"I'll find us the best place to eat here, think of it as way to make it up for hitting you. Sorry about that too, really."

* * *

><p>"My legs are tired…!"<p>

Roy sighed deeply under his breath. "Then stretch them, you've been stuck in a cage…with free movement.

"Elisa keeps poking me, tell her to stop!"

"Whoever the fuck Elisa is, stop poking whoever the fuck you're poking!" Roy yelled a loud as he could to the gang of pink haired misfits travelling down the hallway. The guard who had most "helpfully" offered his service was dragging himself along besides Roy, giving random glances behind his back at the horde of girls.

"I'm 8 years old!"

"Spectacular…I'm 29…big ass whoop."

"There's a spider on the wall…go and kill it!"

"Use your vectors then!" Roy yelled back, not sure how long he was going to take this abuse. "I don't want it to touch me! It's gross!" The blue haired man couldn't believe he was having to go through this crap right now. "What are you yapping about, how could even touch you. What do you expect it to run down your corporeal invisible hand?"

"Yes!"

*BANG!*

"There the spider is dead….bloody brats."

"My arms hurt…!"

Screeching to a halt, Roy turned abruptly around, starring at the pink haired group with venom in his eyes. "Your arms hurt huh? Your little tiny girly Diclonius arm hurts huh? At you have fucking arms! Hell you probably have 8 of them! I have jack shit right now! I don't have limb to go by! Seriously!" He yelled looking at the guard with raised eyebrows. "You need security for these things!"

The guard merely shrugged his shoulder, still nursing his wounded hands and sniffing every once in a while.

"Why are you doing this?"

Roy opened his mouth to retort back when he realized that the statement given wasn't one of those foolish remarks the other Diclonius had been yapping about constantly. Gazing over his shoulder, he didn't have to look around for long, he spotted her almost instantly, the same girl who questioned him before. She glared with something that couldn't have been hatred but more along the lines of dark curiosity. It was almost as if she trying to look back at Roy with less aggression but pain and misery had almost permanently left the mark there. "You are human, so why is one trying to help us? Perhaps your just leading us down to some chamber to kill us all in the masses."

!

The group suddenly stopped, much to the man's annoyance and began mumbling together. "She's right! This is probably just another trap; they're just going to keep hurting us! We should kill them and really escape!"

The guard, sensing the danger already ran forward, hiding behind Roy's back like a scared little puppy as the blue haired man stepped forward, several of his bullets flying around him. "I can assure you that I have no intentions of killing you. I don't really blame you for not trusting me, even if you weren't being abused as such, that annoying voice inside of your head is more than likely roaring to murder us all. Perhaps this will make things a little better, do any of you know Elrya Alya?"

There was a moment of paused confusion as everyone looked at each other, shrugging their naked shoulders almost in unison.

Roy thought for a second. "How about this, do you know a Number 90 and a Number 91?" He asked, deciding that more than likely they didn't know the two numbers were actually the same person. He half expected that they wouldn't know and was surprised by both the fact that one answered and the one who did answer was the same girl who seemed to have such an attitude with him. "I know them, or at least I've heard of them. They used to be at a facility run by…some old guy, can't remember his name."

"Aye." Roy answered back. "I'm not going to get into all the details but Elrya and Alya have gotten me and a group of other people together and are seeking out the rescue of all the Diclonius in the facility. It's been our plan for a quite a while, but a few things have come up. One of her friends, a human mind you, has been kidnapped and so I and my mate decided to do this job on our own."

"Wait there's more?" One piped in

"Nah…he had to do something important."

"Is he a nice guy?"

"Yeah…" Roy grumbled. "When you meet him, given a big huge hug and call him Mr. Mctuffles! God I hope Bando knocks them out…" He ended with a deep mutter under his breath. "Anyway…you may not know it but the leader of facilities, Kakuzawa Senior has placed the world into a direct line of fear. As far as we know, he wishes to create a world of only Diclonius by attaining Queen Lucy and killing off all the humans. We on the other hand, are trying to save the Diclonius while not making the human race extinct. What we want to do is, gather the Diclonius together and lead them through the strong facilities, bringing all the Diclonius together and finally stopping Kakuzawa."

"So your just using us." The girl replied darkly, crossing her arms in the process.

"Yeah…I suppose in the end that's what this is all about. A massive sacrifice to change the world. Once again I am not forcing you to do anything, all I am asking is for a little help. It might surprise some of you but not every human is a low scum piece of dirty shit who wishes to abuse you. There are some humans who nicer than that, sometimes annoyingly nice, with weird hair dyes. But there definitely better than some people."

The Diclonius continued to glare at him, red eyes shining through the dimly lit hallway until finally, a small voice broke the tension. "I believe you…" Perhaps no older than 5, perhaps even the youngest one there, her long pink bangs covering her cherubic face, the small child spoke again. "You might be a little mean…but your still the nicest person we've seen. Even if you were lying to us, you're the first person whose ever spoken to us like this and it's…kind of nice. Thanks…" Roy paused to look at her closely.

"You have to make me a promise." The dark girl said, walking up to him, the wind kicking around her. Not exactly sensing a threat but keeping himself on guard, Roy's bullets flicked with more velocity. At last she stood before him, a head shorter than him though somehow just as intimidating, her deep crimson eyes burning into his blue ones. She seemed sort of surprised when he didn't flinch, if she wanted to, she could've killed him on the spot right there. Instead he merely starred just as intently back at her, even tilting his head to the side almost casually. "What is it?" he asked, not arrogantly but merely as a question to a question.

"You have to promise me that you won't betray us, or intentionally hurt us. You have to promise me that you will make a better world for us! If you do that, then maybe we'll help you. But if you ever do anything against us, I'll make sure there's not enough pieces left to identify you."

"…I understand." Roy said, taking a step back. "Now let's…"

*TAK!* *TAK!* *TAK!* *TAK!*

"SHIT!" Roy roared, turning swiftly around just to see the tail coat of the guard disappear behind the corner. Only 5 seconds passed before the alarms boomed loudly in his ears. "Shit…this is bad."

* * *

><p>Nirlinya was standing at the door of Kakuzawa's office like an obedient person, her eyes looking calmly around the room and only ever stopping to gaze at her great and powerful god. Waiting patiently for whatever job Kakuzawa-sama gave to her, she fidgeted when Kakuzawa's phone rang, almost as if expecting it to suddenly explode in his palm. Answering it as he usually would in the same arrogant elderly tone, the young Sipilet knew something was amiss when a long and strong silence entered the room. Hanging up, or rather throwing the phone harshly against his desk, he called Nirlinya over whom jumped over at the moment he mentioned the first letter of her name.<p>

"We have a problem at one of the facilities. Some fool is trying to set the Diclonius free. It seems he's trying to fool our kind into believe the foolish human race will help them."

"B-Bastard!" Nirlinya cursed. "Why are my kind not stopping him right now?"

"I don't know, he may have fooled them, or perhaps they turned traitor like Number 7 did. Give me a second." She nodded obediently, watching as Kakuzawa turned his intercom on. "Nousou! Get down here immediately, we have an issue!"

A few minutes later, an effeminate looking man with blonde hair came in, his white lab coat still stained with a few bits of blood from the last experimentation. "What is it Kakuzawa?" He asked, startled by the dark look Nirlinya gave him though she knew the man worked for Kakuzawa and though he was human, was still vital to his plans. "The clones, can they be ready now?"

"Wh-What! I told you it would be at least two days before they're ready! At the most Cynthia and Barbara are the only ones perfectly ready to go out to any mission…"

"That's good enough!" Kakuzawa uttered, taking a quick look at Nirlinya. "Get them ready and take Nirlinya here with you. There's been an issue at one of the facilities! I'm giving you the order to stop whoever is taking control of it right now! Do it and I may even reward you. The same goes for you Nirlinya, I'm putting my trust in you."

"Of course Kakuzawa-sama! I live to serve you!" She spoke aloud, her face beaming happily at the thought of helping her god. "We'll prepare a helicopter Nousou, get whatever clones that are ready and get here in one minute! I will show whoever this fool is what happens when he tries to go against god's power!"

* * *

><p>The small candle burned upon the table as Elrya Alya scarfed her food down most hastily. Probably due to the tension of the day, she suddenly found herself very hungry and the moment her food was set before her table, she began eating, almost forgetting about the chopsticks, she halfway started eating with her hands. It was a small place, nice and cozy and thankfully with no assassins trying to kill them in there. It would also appear that nobody recognized them. The young Diclonius had for her own part wanted to sit next to Yin instead of across from him from the table, liking his warm body being close to her.<p>

"This is wonderful Yin! Thank you so much!" She cried out, slurping her drink, choking slightly and eating some more. "This definitely makes up for hitting me."

"Hahaha! I'm glad…" He muttered joyfully.

It didn't take long for her to finish her meal and when she did, she rested her head back against his shoulder, snuggling up against him. "That was great, it was so delicious…and better than fried eels, that's for sure. Yin…if I haven't said it already, I love you."

"Well I love you too…"

"No I mean I really love you! I mean I know I've said it a lot, and I know I've said how much I love how you were so nice to me, but it's true! I love you! Alya loves you! We love you so much!" She cried out, nudging her face against his own, prickling her face on the small bristles of the beard that had begun to form. "Eh…your face is kind of…"

Yin laughed. "Yeah, I need to shave. If you want something more, just tell me, I have more than enough money."

"Don't mind if I do!"

They continued to eat, having some small talk but enjoying their time together nonetheless. It hadn't even occurred to them that almost two hours had passed since they gotten inside the restaurant. "Once we find a place to stay at, we'll sleep for the night and then continue on our journey." Yin said sternly. "It'll be best if we're both well rested before we try to keep looking for Miriana and Vladimir."

"I understand." Alya said as Elrya let her forward, deciding that Alya had been left in the darkness of her mind too long and deserved to spend some quality time with Yin herself as well. As they left, Yin paying for his meal noticed something strange outside. Though dusk was quickly approaching, there was surprisingly little people outside. Paying, the two stepped out and Alya felt a strange prickling feeling in her senses, something that just seemed to scream that something bad was going to happen. "Yin…" She said seriously, slightly pushing him back into the restaurant while she stepped forward out into the open street.

"A-Alya?"

"Stand back…" She spoke out, her red eyes narrowing dangerously. "Is it Vladimir? Has he decided to show himself?" She thought, preparing for any sort of attack.

*Whoosh!*

"Kya!" Yelling aloud, she turned around, seeing merely a black object floating towards her face before exploding violently. Her vectors rushed out in an instant protecting her body but the force of the blast knocked her off her feet. Hanging in mid-air, she used her hands to stop her fall, flipping herself back up just see something rushing to her very chest. Her hands kicked her to the side, part of her shirt being ripped off by the lunging hand until she caught her balance and kicked back to spread the distance between her and her enemy. One brief second of shock on her face was replaced by anger as her hands popped out like a wicked hurricane, Elrya mentally holding her ground as well.

Only a single name escaped her lips.

"Garder…"

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Beast chapter over 6,000 words, a record for Pinpoint Lifeline. The story continues as Roy attempts to rescue the Diclonius, some of which who have been grating on his nerves. Yet Kakuzawa now knows aobut it, and is sending Nirlinya over to stop him. However it's not just Roy and Bando who are facing issues, Elrya Alya is also facing some opposition, one of the particular Garder F. Morotisan who has somehow gathered her location and it seems has decided to finally deal with her himself. What will happen next on "Pinpoint Lifeline."<p> 


	46. Rescue Mission C

**Chapter 45: Rescue Mission (C)**

Elrya Alya was smart enough to know exactly what's going on, although she can't believe she had been so foolish as not to think of it. A Diclonius, especially with all that was going on around being randomly let off because of another single man. She knew the facilities and their ways, they wouldn't have given a damn about Yin and would've have shot at him to get to her. No, she realized it the moment she locked her crimson red eyes directly on the black slits she hated so much. This had been planned from the start by Garder, to have direct communication from him and the other facilities and to have him contact him in case they ever found her. The burning hatred of rivalry between the two was already an inferno and at this very moment, Garder had done nothing more but added a tank of oil to the flames.

"So…Garder…have you finally decided to stop sending others to do your work?" Alya growled, her fists clenched tightly, the nails threatening to break her skin. Garder didn't answer, although his expression did darken considerably. Well at least Garder had done well enough to remove bystanders out of the way, that would make it much easier to beat the hell out of him.

*CRACK!*

Resounding into the air like the feeling of the spine being broken, the ground split open underneath Alya's feet, intoxicating fury filling her body. There was no time to waste, no time to make any mistakes or think of being soft. Her cold eyes, bloodied pupils shrunk, becoming small dots with the chaotic look of insanity. Garder, sensing the erupting danger let ears take control. Bending low to the ground, the elderly man placed one hand on the ground, feeling the vibrations of the earth as Alya's powers grew stronger and stronger. Too strong perhaps, by the merely sound of the wind rushing in his ears he gathered that Alya's vectors had increased another 3 meters and perhaps had grown 2 extra arms. It was merely guess work and Garder, at long last decided to take the initiation to kill her himself.

*CRACK!*

The cement street shattered, pieces of black asphalt shooting into the sky while smaller pieces floating by her, rotating with dangerous urgency before they too exploded into fine particles of dust. Angry, this man was an enemy, the dark master of the facility that gave her so much pain! This old man was her enemy, the enemy of her life, forever her enemy! Enemy! Enemy! Enemy!

Garder F. Morotisan..Enemy!

*SLASH!*

What struck could not be considered an arm, it would be better to have called it just nature. Compare to the vast length and numbers that Mariko had, it was not like a wave, rushing forward to engulf the foe in a swarm of corporeal annihilation. Instead it was more akin to a bolt of lightning, burning hot, and overly powerful, but not as wide spread. Even as he dodged it, the sheer force of the wind that accompanied the rushing hand was enough to push him back a few centimeters before the booming thunder hit his ears. Had a bomb gone off? It sure had felt like it as Garder's eyes glared at the scene next to him. A large thick line ran across the concrete street, the asphalt burned and charred away. The deepness of the cut could well have been 5 meters deep. The smell of burning concrete filled his nostrils, a stench of rock and the distinctive smell of something he had never sensed before. Alya's attack was so erratically powerful that along with sound it had even given on a distinctive aroma. As for the young girl, her hatred was hardly quelled from that attack and the hurricane of infuriating power once again rose.

Hate.

"Why!" Unable to take it anymore, she screeched the word at him, hate dripping from every single syllable that she could muster. "What did I ever do to you! What the hell do you want from me anyways Garder! Tell me! What the hell is your problem! I just want to be left alone…with my own family but you keep screwing it up! Damn you to hell!"

Garder stepped forward, tensing his body up. "You are asking why I am attempting to kill you?" Garder asked, his voice displaying an odd bit of venom in it. "What a foolish question you ask…Alya." He said her name with spite on his tongue, his black slit eyes narrowing so that he looked even more seriously dangerous than ever before. "The reason I'm going to kill you is because I can no longer take this perverse nature that you inhabit. You who murdered your own mother, must pay for the actions you have taken."

"KUH!" She spat, hatefully turning her head to the side and clutching her own chest. "Don't…you dare bring that up you bastard! That was…an accident! It was a horrible accident…that shouldn't have happened! I didn't mean to do it!"

"Liar…" The elderly ex-soldier growled. "You killed your own mother out of pure joy, laughing all the same."

"Sh-Shut up! I didn't want…to do it!" Alya cried, dropping to her knees and covering her face with her hands. "I didn't mean to kill her… I…" Garder's words were hitting her deeply, her insane eyes had vanished, replaced instead by insecure feelings of regret. "It was an accident Elrya…instincts! I didn't mean to do it! I didn't mean to do it Elrya! You know that right?"

"ALYA!"

Yin's scream might have reached her ears but it didn't reach it in time. The only thing she knew next was that her gut was on fire as Garder's fist slammed into it, knocking the breath straight out of her small body. Spit and if her blurring vision was correct, blood spewed from her mouth before something grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt. Instinctively Alya attempted to slash the arm off but as if he knew it was coming already, which was hardly a lie at all, Garder had already side stepped around her, delivering yet another blow, this time to her side. Stumbling on her feet, Alya erupted, swinging her hands around wildly to at the very least push him away so that she could collect her distance again. Jumping back a few meters, she crouched down low, her teeth grinding together as her hands swished and flashed around her, emitting such chaotic energy that at points, small bits of static would appear, scorching the street. Yet Alya was also feeling tired, sweating deeply that wasn't part of her beating, it something deeper, more internal.

"Guh…Ah…Ugh…" Rage and pain were beginning to overcome her as Elrya quickly tried to coax her into calming down.

"I know it's not your fault Alya! You've always been there for me, you're my best friend! What's wrong Alya, you feel…strange."

The young Diclonius staggered forward, clutching her wounded side while her small dotted eyes shook wrathfully at Garder. Then as if her entire body had suddenly been struck by an unseen force, Alya collapsed face first on the street, gasping for air that she didn't need yet her lungs felt as if they had been swollen. "Gah! Haa…Haa…what happened, I shouldn't be this weak even if I took all those hits!" She moaned aloud.

"You don't understand do you Alya?" Garder queried at her, flexing his fingers so that the cracked ominously. Her only answer to glare at him reproachfully and bring out her vectors yet bringing them out only seem to cause her more anguish and she soon stopped producing them. "Alya, is something wrong with your vectors?" Elrya asked. While sharing the same body, they both had different brain wavelengths and thus had different amounts of abilities and powers. While she could tell something was wrong, she couldn't physically feel it herself, at least not as bad as Alya could.

"Overload of entropy…"

?

Alya's expression was well enough that she didn't understand what Garder had just said. The old man knowing this well enough continued. "The more you overuse your powers beyond your physical limitation, the harsher the effects on your body. You have finally hit your peak Alya and now it's time that I finally ended what should have been ended long ago." Wounded and unable to use her hands without both Garder avoiding them and causing herself massive injury, the young girl tried to put on a brave face, determined to stand up for herself yet the only thing that she could do was just lay there with her bod shaking uncontrollably. Raising his right hand, Alya's eyes watched as the fingers flexed again, poised to strike right through her heart just as he done to Mariko.

"Come on…!" She thought, attempting to rise back up and only achieving more pain in the process. Even Elrya was screaming mentally at her. "Don't give up Alya, you're too strong to give up like that!" Yet words of encouragement was not something that Alya needed, what she needed was physical help to stop her body from burning internally. Yet even if she did have enough health to continue fighting, Garder had proven himself more than capable of handling her and her vectors. No pity in his eyes, for the first time since he had released her in the hopes that she would get herself killed, in the hopes that he wouldn't have to do it himself. Going as far to call in the dark man of deceit, Vladimir cents to do his job, Garder was prepared to finally end the young girl's life here and now without a second thought of hesitation. His only regret at the very moment was not doing it years ago, for not doing it the moment she killed her mother on that horrible day. No, it should have happened sooner, it should have happened during the moment of the unfortunate birth.

"N-No…I don't want to die…" Alya thought desperately, her eyes shaking with fear. But yet death rushed at her in the form of a strong hand, straight for her heart and out of her back. Something flashed before her eyes, perhaps death grasping her in its sickly fingers. Yet she had felt nothing, no pain in her chest as that was certainly where Garder had been aiming and the color and sounds of the world were still readily apparent in her ears. It was only after a few seconds that she registered that a person was crouching in front of her, their back against her face.

"Y-Yin?"

Garder, his expression as serious as ever held his tensed fingers near Yin's head, any closer and any quicker and he might have pierced his index and ring ringer straight through his eyes. "Get out of the way…boy." Garder demanded in the same broken yet dark voice as before. Yin didn't move, there was no way he could move and so the only thing he could do was just shield his love. "I can't do that Garder…I can let you hurt Elrya or Alya."

"What do you care if she lives or dies?" Garder asked. Such a question racked on Yin's nerves, to treat the person he loved with such disdain made his own anger boil. "Because sir…this girl you are trying to kill is my wife."

"What?" Garder's expression had finally changed, displaying true confusion at that point. "You speak of nonsense boy…"

Yin remained defiant. "Maybe not officially, but in my heart I will always love both Elrya and Alya as equally as I possibly can. I don't know what vendetta you have against her but I won't let you kill her, not without going through me first."

"Yin…" Alya mumbled. Garder still in the same position as he was before mumbled. "Love does not negate logic, even you should have seen it before. The overwhelming power and rage coming from Alya during our fight. Even you shouldn't be able to ignore the fact that she's going out of control." The words hit Yin hard because it reminded him of what Roy had told him.

"_She's like a reflex that has been temporarily stopped, but like any reflex unless it is constantly looked at it will eventually manifest again…"_

Crazed eyes, an almost inability to control her powers it was just like Roy had said. Whenever Alya's personality manifested in such a way that there was violence around her, she got out of control, becoming almost feral. Yet what differences could that make to him, he couldn't treat her any less than he had before because of it. In fact he had to do his best to treat her as kindly and as lovingly as possible so that she wouldn't go out of control. "Even if that is true…" Yin answered back unsteadily. "…I still can't let you kill her."

Garder's answer was just as strict as before. "If Alya is allowed to live, the only thing it will lead to is more death and destructive…"

"So it's my fault?" Alya finally uttered. "Are you saying that if I wasn't around…you wouldn't have to kill Elrya?"

"Correct, you are the sole reason why the Diclonius act the way they do, while they have such a biological hatred for humanity and are capable of causing such immense destruction. As long as you exist you are a threat to the entire civilization of mankind. It is the unfortunate fate of all Diclonius, a terrible backlash hat should've been averted a long time ago. "

Alya snapped back at him. "Then why did you even let me live this long! Y-You were there weren't you…when I…k-killed my own mother! Just a weak little child without anybody to comfort me! Not only did not comfort me, you threw me into that damn facility! If you wanted me to die so badly, then why didn't you just killed me right there 10 years ago!" She shrieked as loudly as she could at him, tears spilling down her cheeks. "What point…was there in putting me through those 10 years of misery in that forsaken place? What point was there in even letting me live when you just wanted to kill me later on!" Alya's voice cracked while Yin turned around slightly, placing his arms around her head to comfort her.

"Garder…" He uttered mostly under his breath yet his voice was steady enough. "I won't let that happen to Alya, I won't let her become such a destructive being. I'm going to take care of her, love her and make sure she never becomes something like you say she will…"

The director flexed his fingers, sending a shiver down Yin's spine. "Those are useless words, you have no idea what you are trying to accomplish. Your knowledge on Diclonius is below even the worst amateur. You think you can merely grant this girl a little care and love but that will never change who she really is. No matter how much you try, she will forever be an instinctive voice wishing to slaughter all of humanity. If she doesn't now, then she will later on, if not today, if not tomorrow but eventually she will cave in. Now…move a side…or I will kill you as well."

Yin clenched his teeth, not moving but not sure what else to do.

"Fine then!" Screeching to the front of her mind, Elrya forcibly pushed Yin out of the way, rising up painfully and spreading her arms out to the side. "If you're going to go this far than just do it! You won't ever leave me alone until you finally have me dead, well fine then! Here! Go on and rip my heart out, go on and kill me! I'll have to let Yin do what I came here to do, but if you're going to threaten him to get to me I have no choice anymore!"

"E-Elrya!" Yin yelled.

"Come on! Garder F. Morotisan, show the entire world what you are, just an old murderous man taking the lives of us because your too blind to see that maybe we can have a little change! But I won't let Alya be in the front when you kill us, I'm going to take the majority of all the pain! Come on then Garder, what are you waiting for?

Come on!

Come on!

Do it!

DO IT!"

…

…

"_Garder…can you make me a promise…_

With her hands still outstretched, Elrya's breath came in deep ragged blows, her facial expression contorted wildly in front of Garder's who's hand remained raised. Yet he didn't move, he didn't lunge forward to end her life but only starred at her thorough his horned rimmed glasses. "Hmm…" Nothing but a deep grumble sounded in his throat, the two just stood there, poised to die and poised to murder.

"What wrong…Garder?" Elrya retorted back. "You were more than willing to kill Alya what's stopping you now?"

"…"

"_Garder…can you make a promise…a small promise just for me? I know that you've been through a lot in the war, with all that's happened, I miss the old you, the one who would smile. _

_Can you promise me…just one small promise?_

_That even anything ever happens to me_…

_...You'll always take care of her...Garder."_

…

…

* * *

><p>"Garder!"<p>

Snapped out of his thought, Garder turned to a small soldier, his black outfit almost hidden as night was coming along. "D-Director Morotisan, something happening at one of the facilities. We just got word from K-Kakuzawa…s-sama…" he mumbled, not sure how to truly address the self-proclaimed god director. "…That a breakout has occurred at one of the facilities."

"What?" The old man muttered, turning around.

"A break out?" Alya thought to Elrya. "It must be Roy and Bando…"

"Yeah…"Elrya answered back to herself.

"What's going on over there?" Garder asked.

"I-I'm not sure of the specifics sir, all I know is that some strange man with blue hair and no arms has let the Diclonius free." Garder stopped when he heard those words. "A man with blue hair huh…? I see…very well then, I will end this coup d'état myself." He uttered with coldness in his voice, his boots stomping on the hard cold ground away from Elrya.

"S-Sir…the Diclonius, what about her!"

Stopping, he glanced at the girl over his shoulder, watching her closely as she struggled to rise up, breathing heavily to collect her thoughts and energy. "Call in the members of the SAT back here, capture and take the Diclonius back to my facility."

"Ah!" Startled, Elrya drew a quick step back. In her fury and anger she was more than willing to die just to spite Garder but right now, that wasn't the case anymore. If she was allowed to live right now she needed to get back to saving Miriana. Yet with the sounds of heavy footsteps coming and the clicks of semi-automatic rifles poised in her direction, such a thing didn't seem possible. However, a second later she heard the distinctive click of something that didn't come from a rifle, but from a smaller gun. Garder hearing the sound didn't show any concern but merely glared at Yin as he held the pistol to his head, fingers shaking slightly.

"I can't let you do that…" Yin muttered. "I promised to protect both Elrya and Alya with all of my soul. If you do this…then I…I will kill you."

Garder tilted his head to the side. "What point do you have to make then?"

"Huh?"

"I am a veteran soldier, I have been through countless wars, killing countless people for countless reasons. The fear of guns, death, disease, incapacitation, famine, and violence…all of it has no meaning to me other than mere objectives of war. Shoot me and you will kill me, ending a soldier's life. The moment you do though, you and the girl will be shot immediately and the Diclonius is too weak for her vectors to have any effect on the bullets right now."

The blacked hair man starred incredulously, hardly able to believe what he heard. How true it was, even if he did kill Garder, something he wasn't sure he had him anyway, than they would just kill him and Elrya Alya too. They had to live not just for themselves but for Miriana as well. But, what other choice could be made, he kept his gun raised, still aiming at the man's head but unable to shoot knowing what the outcome would lead towards. "C-Can't you have a little heart? I mean she's just a young girl and the person I love!"

"Obnoxiously ignorant as before huh boy? I already told you that it doesn't matter how much you may love her. She is still a destructive being capable of annihilating the human race without exception if she ever got out of control.

Prepare to capture and…"

*Shhhh*

Something was coming, everyone heard but with his keen ears Garder was the first to recognize it. The sound of something fast rushing towards him. Reacting on instinct, he ducked, feeling something pass over his head and heading directly into the crowd of armed men. The next second a loud explosion tore the earth apart as the rocket blew apart the crowd sending smoke and debris everywhere. Certain shocked, Elrya and Yin looked around quickly before choking as the smoke filled their lungs. Garder, aiming his sight on where the sound at first come was only greeted by an intense flash of white light blinding him directly. "Hm!" Growling under his breath, he attempted to look his hearing on the direct location but because of the explosion his ears were currently ringing unable to pinpoint the actual location of the sound.

Something was moving in one of the locations, he lunged his hand forward, trying to grasp it but only manage to catch air. Blinded and unable to hear for a few seconds, he kept his cool but definitely realized that somebody had come to help the two. Sound slowly started coming back, the moans and groans of the men around him and once sight and sound finally came to him, Elrya and Yin were gone.

* * *

><p>"Ah! What was that!" Elrya cried out, trying to open her stinging eyes while Yin did the same. The next thing she knew something rough had grabbed her and apparently Yin as well and before she could say a word otherwise was dragged off. "Guh…who's there? Wh-What happened ah…"<p>

"Damn your obnoxious girl…"

"Eh? B-Bando?" Elrya cried out, still rubbing her eyes as vision slowly started to come to her. Sure enough, though blurry she could make the outline of the brutish soldier, his sunglasses tight upon his face. "Wh-what are you doing here? I thought you we're with Roy."

Bando didn't' answer at first but pulled out a small cigarette and lighting it up. "Something happened and I had to leave however that's not important right now. What's important is how much of a complete dumbass you are!" Bando words struck Elrya hard, enticing her anger. "What are you getting angry at me about? It's not like I planned for Garder to come up and attack!"

"That's not what I mean…" Bando hissed, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. "Come and kill me then? Go on and hurry up? What kind of shit are you trying to pull dumbass? Getting yourself killed is a pretty piss poor way to save Miriana."

The young girl paused, deciding to look at the ground herself. She didn't have any excuse for her actions this time. Luckily and thankfully Bando decided not to press the situation on her anymore though he still gave her a fierce look.

"Bando, how did you get this far?" Yin asked.

"Kuh! I had to deal with some issues as I said…"

* * *

><p><strong>Earlier…<strong>

Racing back to the house, Bando wasn't sure what he was going to do first. Beat the ever loving shit out of that black hat wearing bastard or beat the crap out of himself for even doing this. Nevertheless he continued to race down the street with sweat pouring from his face. "Shit! Shit! Of all the goddamn things that have to happen, I knew I should have killed that bastard when I had the chance. Damn brats have made me soft!" Roaring to himself, he crossed the path back to the house, the men following about 5 minutes behind. He didn't bother knocking on the door, he used his boot and smashed the glass right through without so much as a warning. High pitches yells reached his ears before the annoying black haired brat flew out staring at him shocked.

"B-…" She didn't even have time to utter his name before he grabbed her arm and threw her out the door. "Shut up! We have an issue and I'm this close to breaking your skull brat! Where's the horned freak too!"

As if on cue, Nana rushed out, looking just as startled as Mayu did. "Old man what are you…Ah!" Before Bando threw her out of the house just the same. "There's a problem thanks to you brats and your unnecessary kindness. That fucker is coming back and he's bringing more people with him! Hurry the fuck up and let's go!"

"B-But what if Kouta, Yuka and her mother come back! Those men could still be there!" Mayu cried out.

His temper hardly quelled, Bando clenched his teeth together so hard they began to rattle, and the metal springs in his hand tightening together as well as his fist shook uncontrollably. "We don't have time for that, if they're smart, once they see what's going on at their house they won't even come this way! Besides don't you have a cell phone or something!"

"No!"

"HUH! Don't all brats like you have a cell phone? Urgh! Ah! Shit! Just come with me, now!" Nearly screaming at the top of his lungs, Bando forced them away before something small ran up against him. "W-Wanta!" Mayu cried, the soldier roughly picking it up and pushing it in her arms as the small animal whimpered. He could already hear voices coming as the three of them stormed off.

"Freeze!"

Bando's reaction speed was incredible, he pushed both Nana and Mayu to the floor and then whipped out his magnum with lightning reflex. The first fire hit the target straight in the leg just as the bullets began flying. The second shot hit, a perfect blow to the chest as the man fell dead. The brat would probably give him so much lip for killing but there was no time to think of that matter. She would have to realize that in such a situation as this, sometimes, one had to take the most painful of options. "Get back you two! Get going!" He screamed at them, firing rapidly at the group of men who seemed to unprepared for such an assault by just a single man. As they got prepared, guns raised to fire indiscriminately, Bando felt sure that things were not going to look up at him. The next thing he saw were the flashes from the muzzle and what he expected was the tearing of his flesh by the bullets. Instead much to his surprise the only thing he did see was flashes of light ricocheting off thin air around him. It didn't take him long to figure out why as he was kind of near one of the horned freaks he knew so well. Nana took on the defensive, blocking and blowing the bullets away with relative ease before her hands dug into the ground, one, two, four, six more driving into the dirt before lifting up a large wall to block the attack.

"Something useful from you guys…finally!" Bando growled pulling a small orb from the back of his coat, pulling the string and chucking it over the wall. "Let's go!" He roared, turning them around just as the flash grenade went off. Cries of anguish and rage echoed in his ears while the three managed to finally make their escape.

* * *

><p>Elrya merely starred with a look of incomprehension on her face. "Well then…if you went through all that…then that means…" She uttered, looking over Bando's shoulder to see the human, Diclonius and dog huddled together.<p>

"Oh…"

"You're a Diclonius! Just like me!" Nana piped, looking up far too close to Elrya's face for her comfort.

"Mind backing up…" Alya said, scaring Nana back. "W-What was that? Your voice changed."

"Don't be surprised…" Elrya spoke, returning back to the front. "I merely have two personalities in me. I'm Elrya Sandersas and the person who just spoke before me is my best friend and other self Alya Sandersas."

Though still a bit confused, Nana at the very least understood a bit of what Elrya was saying.

"Well I'm Nana!" She childish Diclonius said happily before narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "I hope I'm not being rude but…are you really a Diclonius?" She asked, earning her a long look from the older girl. "of course I am, don't you see my strange horns, wacked out hair color and double personality? Oh I understand, you mean you can't sense me."

"Yeah." Nana muttered, nodding her head with her answer.

"I guess you both know…" She said talking to Nana and Mayu. "That a lot of stuff has been happening around here. We're actually trying to stop Kakuzawa from achieving his ultimate goal and save the other Diclonius while also saving humans as well. However a couple of days ago one of my close friends was taken away. We don't know where she is but I'm desperately trying to find her. You guys wouldn't happen to know a Vladimir Cents?"

Nana shrugged her shoulders while Mayu answered apologetically. "No, I haven't…should I?"

"No…" Elrya said seriously. "You're very lucky not to have met him before.

"We're in Kyoto though…" Mayu said after a moment, looking around the place. "I'm not sure what happened but I heard on the news that a vast stream of murders happened around here. Some strange man in a weird outfit was seen committing mass murder, they even got his picture on the news."

"Aye, that's Vladimir Cents…" Elrya answered coldly.

"He sounds mean…" Nana added.

"Don't remind me…"

Yin finally stepped forward, bowing his head respectfully. "Well I may not know you two but I am glad your both safe. Are you two wounded at all, I'm a doctor so more than likely I can help you with any problems you might have. Oh…my bad, I forgot introductions. My name is Yin Sandersas."

"Hello, I'm Mayu…" The black haired girl replied. "…Sandersas? Are you two brothers and sister?" She asked looking between Yin and Elrya. "No dear, Elrya Alya is my wife." Yin said happily, his own smile making Elrya and Alya feeling a much needed warmth inside of her. On his words he stood by his side, pressing her head lightly against his body lovingly.

"That's right…" Elrya said tenderly. "It's not really official but I love Yin very much and as far we're concerned we're both happily married."

"Congratulations!" Nana yelled, surprising the Diclonius with her sudden jubilant behavior.

"Uh…Thanks…"

"You two…" Bando said, finally breaking the conversation and bringing them back to the more serious matter. "The rest of us have businesses to take care of, I have a cell phone would the rest of your family happen to have one? We can call them and tell them where you and your friend are at."

Mayu however shook her head. "I don't think Kouta or Yuka ever had a phone with them."

"Shit…" Bando hissed. "I don't have time to babysit you brats. Hm…ah I got it. If he's not feeling too down at the moment, especially with your horned friend right there, I guess the best thing to do would be to send you to Kurama's and…"

"PAPA!" Nana cried out, knowing that name all too well. "Where is Papa? Is Papa alright? How is Papa doing? Nana loves Papa…"

"My god would you be quiet!" The soldier hissed. Nana instantly silenced herself, putting a finger to her lips and blushing with a down cast look. "Yeah the old man's alive, though I'm not sure how his constitution is doing right now. The first thing I'm going to do is find a hat for your girl…" He said looking at Nana. "Got too much trouble going on right now for people to see your white and shining horns. Then I'm going to get us a car and take you to old man Kurama's

And as for you…" He continued, looking at Elrya. "Try not to do something so stupid again and try not to screw things up. You have a job to do as well and that job doesn't include getting yourself killed, understand me?"

"Y-Yeah…" Elrya said darkly, not liking how Bando was yelling at her but understanding his intentions also.

"Ummm…one question I do have Bando…" The Diclonius said as the question popped up in her head. "You were in Kamakura…but you came here to Kyoto even more quickly than me and Yin did, how?"

"Plot…and let's just leave it that…" Bando said, walking away with the two girls.

"What does that mean?" She asked looking at Yin who merely shrugged his shoulder, just as startled as his wife was.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another chapter finished. After a vicious fight with Garder, our heroes have managed to escape, meeting back with Bando as well as meeting Nana and Mayu. Things have become intense right now but at the very least for them things have calmed down now. However what about Roy who is still at one of the facility trying to save the other Diclonius. What's going to happen next time on "Pinpoint Lifeline"<p>

R&R


	47. Desperados

**Chapter 46: Desperados **

Roy and his group managed to get 5 meters down the first hallway before the armed men rushed them from every single angle, from the front and from the back, their guns raised and ready to fire in an instant. "Alright you brats, remember what I said before about killing opposition?

…Well this is opposition, have fun."

When the first shot was fired, it and the multiple ones following after were drowned out by the blast of wind that emitted when over 100 arms came spiraling out amongst a narrow hallway. With such numbers and such close spaces Roy felt like a massive heat wave had overcome the surroundings. In their position right now, there was no way that security could ever hope to manage to kill or capture them all. Even trained men wouldn't have been prepared for a situation like this, with so many Diclonius huddled together in one place creating a nearly impenetrable wall of power and death.

With things being taken care of, Roy was suddenly contacted by the same 15 year old girl as before. "What are we going to do now then human?" She asked, or more likely demanded from the blue haired man. "First of all stop getting an attitude with me, secondly we need to get outside, you all have already killed everyone in front of us, just make sure your back is covered."

Streaming down the hallway the came up the stairs only to see another group of men firing rapidly upon them. It proved just as ineffective as before, the bullets smashed against the vector wall, bouncing off and clattering uselessly to the floor. "Watch my back also…" Roy muttered. "I don't exactly have an invisible wall capable of stopping bullets…"

Two girls came up in front of him, adding some protection. As they continued up the stairs, Roy providing a few bits of conventional fire here and there which only added more confusion to the men as they were struck from the front and from the back making it believe as if there was more than one person shooting at them, Roy felt a small sense of foreboding. The kind foreboding that made him realize that they had stopped shooting at them which is something that nobody ever did against Diclonius unless they had something else planned.

"Stop…"

"Stop!" One cried out the others agreeing with her. "We're absolutely slaughtering these humans, just like they all deserved!" But wants of murder wasn't stopping the greenish orb flying towards them. Roy recognized the danger immediately, for it was one of the few things that vectors not bullets had any effect on whatsoever. "Ah shit, go back!" He roared, eliciting a long moan of confusion from the Diclonius before the explosion hit his ears. It wasn't light, even if they couldn't see, there were too many of them for the bullets to get past the massive wall of invisible arms. It was gas, a greenish spew of noxious gas pouring from the grenade a few meters by his feet. They were already choking, spluttering with their eyes going white. "The other way…there has to be two ways out!" Roy choked, not really stating anything but merely trying to get them away from the gas. If men had appeared in both directions than that would mean that there was indeed more than one way out.

"You better know what you're doing…" The 15 year old girl growled heinously, rubbing her eyes frantically.

"Once again, stop getting an attitude with me. It's not like I planned for them to use gas right now. Ah shit…" Cursing a loud, Roy watched as a second grenade hit, filling both sides with the greenish fumes. Surrounded with nowhere else to go, some of the girls began clutching their throats, gasping for much needed air. Even Roy was getting worried as his vision slowly began turning black. "..Kuh…Kah!...Break the floor! Open a hole…kah…in the floor!" Any questions they wanted to ask wouldn't have mattered, in the dire situation they listened him regardless of what they thought and tore a massive hole straight in the floor. Though they may have been annoying at times, they were smart enough to know what they had to do.

*RIP!*

*RIP!*

*RIP!*

Holes torn from the ground as the young girls dropped down into the lower levels, heading down into what could only be described as a large boiler room. With the head compressing against his face, Roy landed roughly on the ground, landing on his feet and dropping to his knees before giving the next command almost instantly. "We don't have time to dawdle, can anybody see an exit?"

"I see…a light!" One small girl chirped loudly in her high voice, pointing to a bright light at the right end of the boiler. With their exit in line and hopes that no gas would follow after them, the group made their way to what they could only hope was salvation. One step, two steps, ten steps total before they all broke out the half way open the door and into the glorious nightlight. Even as the sound of guns began clicking around them, Roy felt more than happy right now. They were out in the open, in open space ready to move as they please. "So tell me…Diclonius…how does it feel to smell fresh air, kind of nice isn't…"

*SLASH!*

"…it?" He finished perplexed, hearing the sound of something slashing the air before the bodies flew apart.

"What the..!" Roy roared, turning around to see the other Diclonius backing up and showing the severed pieces of several girls lying in a heap by their feet. Narrowing his eyes, Roy had to contemplate with himself whether or not the gas and messed up his senses because he was almost certain he was looking at two Mariko's. "No…" He thought heavily, looking more closely at them. "Those are Number 35, their too old, I'm guessing they might be clones. Shit, this could be bad…" Keeping his ground, The Sniper eyed the next girl, a young Diclonius stepping forward wearing a brightly colored blood red dress to match her even more piercing blood red eyes. Lastly he saw a young effeminate looking man, holding his hands rather tensely as if he was regretting being in such a situation as this.

"What are you all doing?" Nirlinya asked coldly, eying each and every one of the still living Diclonius. "...To go against Kakuzawa-sama like this, is absolutely heinous. It sickens me to even call you all Diclonius. Though I guess that's not what I'm really mad about, I can understand why you all want to get out. You must have faith in our god Kakuzawa-sama whose greatness will indeed lead us to salvation. But…working with a human…" She growled, glaring daggers at Roy who's only response was to raise his eyebrow.

"That is…unforgivable…but I know that Kakuzawa-sama wouldn't want to have so many of his glorious Diclonius die for such a horrible reason. I want to believe that you all have just been misguided, I was under the same impression before Kakuzawa-sama showed me the correct way and…"

"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt…" Roy said, interrupting things in all sorts of matters. "…But could you kindly wrap this up in the next 10 seconds, I don't really want to hear you yap about kissing Kakuzawa's ass for too long."

!

"Y-You…bastard human…" Nirlinya hissed, her eyes shaking with infuriating rage. "You only prove your disgusting habits by besmirching his great name and…"

"Seriously…" Roy said aloud. "This is kind of first for me, a Diclonius who actually likes Kakuzawa, I guess you weren't stuck up in the facility."

"Wrong human!" The girl spat back. "I was in the same position as all these souls you have corrupted. I too thought my god was wrong but it came to me that it was all part of his true plan to help us all. He's the one who freed me, gave me these clothes and gave me a true reason for living…"

"Alright I'm just going to stop you right there." Roy said darkly, stepping forward though still keeping a good distance away. Although he felt confident, as he had no idea of her range, number or power he needed to be on his guard. "…You're pissing me off with this love for the old man ad we both know you don't even plan on letting me go. So why don't we just cut to the chase…"

Nirlinya once again hissed at him, feral like a cat to her foe. "Very well then, I guess you at least know what your future holds. You…human…" She called out to Nousou. "Make sure your clones keep the other Diclonius at bay." She hated the fact that the two Diclonius were being used by that man but as it was Kakuzawa-sama's orders she wasn't going to complain too much. The human was merely playing a small part in the true world order and like all of them, he too would be finished off. Roy tensed up, turning his attention to what he might as well have considered the second in command of this whole operation now. The same 15 year old girl starred at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"Their vectors…" She whispered, looking at the clones as one took to the front and too the back, spreading their hands around the group like a cage. "…are too long and powerful for us to do anything. I can also sense an even more powerful aura coming from that girl."

Roy kept his cool but was thoughtfully startled. "I see, I need you to help me with something."

"You ask for a lot…" She growled.

"Still hating me I see…I guess getting you guys this far doesn't count huh?"

She opened her mouth to retort but decidedly held against it. "What is it?" She whispered back.

"I more or less know the distance that the clone's vectors have, though it'll be good if they don't interfere. The problem with that girl, until I know the actual length, strength and number of her vectors I'm fighting a random battle. I can't go at full strength without risking anything and if you say she's that powerful this might actually prove a little difficult." At the end of Roy's sentence, Nirlinya crossed her arms, fingers spreading as the wind kicked around her. Such force from it was like a maelstrom, dust floated around her, circling chaotically.

Roy on his part took a step back, the girl perhaps thinking it was cowardliness smirked. "20 meters already…" He thought making his estimation as he saw the ground slashed apart where the hands would slice across it. "And it's quite possible that it's even larger than that. I haven't seen this kind of power since Number 35.

"Are you ready to die human?"

"Not really…" Roy said smiling, letting his bullets float around him. Nousou gasped as Nirlinya narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Even a trick like that won't work on me. You are a foolish human too stupid to understand your place. Though I guess I can't blame you, it's only in your nature to be so foolhardy."

"Tell me girl, along with having vast number of vectors, is another one of your power phenomenal bitching?"

!

"Bastard! How dare you speak to me like that. I could kill you in an instant, you're nothing but weak human!"

"You know…I'm getting kid of irked with you looking down on me." Roy muttered darkly. "It might surprise you but some of us humans aren't that weak. But I guess it's just bad luck for you when the one you face is an expert Diclonius killer.

Alright now…" he muttered, knowing that all talk was done now and speaking directly to his informal partner. "How many vectors did she have, Oh I guess I should just ask since it's a bit annoying saying hey you, this entire time, but do you have a name?"

"Ilya." She answered back. "There wasn't that many, I only counted about 5 though she could have more. What are you going to do?" She asked. "Isn't it obvious…" Roy replied, taking his steps forward again and surprising Nirlinya with his bravery. "I'm going to kick that brat's ass and teach her to respect her adults.

Here we go!"

*BANG!*

* * *

><p>The moon was shining bright and fully over head as the silent waves rocked against the massive cruise ship. Miriana was sleeping peacefully on a mat, a large and soft blanket covering her body at the Captain's feet. It had taken her a long time but eventually and with some comfort from the old seaman, she had finally dozed off and looked incredibly innocent snoring lightly on the floor. He kept the fan on, the door closed and the air freshener out, not wanting to smell the disgusting taste of gore any more than he had to. Stars shining high above the sky, the night was peaceful and with problem and yet there was a problem.<p>

A problem that lied with the figure standing out on the deck of the ship, the cold wind blowing his blonde hair around. Vladimir Cents crossed his arms, smiling simply across the ocean before breathing in the dried smell of blood around his feet. "How serene…" he muttered to himself, closing his eyes and taking deep long sniff as his tongue licked the side of his mouth. "How amazingly serene…such a beautiful smell it is, the smell of death." At the end of his words he bent low on his knees, looking down on rather fresher puddle of gore and slowly began lapping it up with his tongue. He didn't swallow it, here merely let it run across his mouth and down his cheeks but never once did he swallow it.

"Ah.." His dark tongue tasting it all, enjoying it without pause, he got low on all fours and licked it up slowly, letting it fall down his lips and back onto the wooden deck. Licking it in the dead of the night, his chaotic eyes displaying nothing short of greedy madness.

"Ha..Haa…Ha…haa…haa…

What an absolutely…splendid night…"

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another chapter done and done, got it posted quickly too. Roy and Nirlinya get ready for their fight as Vladimir continues to head out to Europe with Miriana as his hostage. So what's going to happen next on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p> 


	48. Beholder Of Truths

**Chapter 47: Beholder Of Truths **

The first bullet flashed towards Nirlinya's head, aiming straight between the eyes with deadly precision. It never reached the skin, her vector smacking it away most carelessly and giving him a long look of disdain. Of course Roy didn't act worried but merely shot another bullet straight at her leg which ended up like the other, smacked away with simplicity. Perhaps thinking he was just screwing with her, Nirlinya stepped forward, slicing across the ground with arms as if to make a threat. "You really think such parlor tricks could work on me human?"

"Surprisingly enough I do…Diclonius. I told you not to underestimate me. But I guess a brat like you would never understand her place. I mean I knew your kind was stupid…" He groaned internally as the Diclonius around him gasped except for Ilya who seemed to realize it was a farce. "…But seriously at least they aren't getting all high up about the old fuck Kakuzawa!"

!

Just as he expected, her rage went into overdrive at the tarnishing of Kakuzawa's name. She screeched, eyes widening to the point where she looked demented and rushed at him, her feet racing across the ground. She reacted just the way he wanted and it allowed him to analyze her habits and abilities. By charging at him, he could induce that her vector length was no greater than 26 meters; otherwise she could've just attacked him from where he stood. The second option thing that was analyzed came from Ilya who muttered quickly. "There are more vectors, 8 of them now." Just as planned as before, he had a feeling she wasn't showing them all and by getting her angry he knew she would show more of them. This was how one, who did not have vectors and could not see vectors fought Diclonius.

With analytical skills.

"Thanks girl…" Roy roared, racing cross the field to Ilya. The ground slashed by his feet, momentarily startling him. "Shit…she's a little quicker than I thought." Roy raced across the field, the Diclonius, Nousou and the two clones watching as the two fought. Another slash ran across the dirty, Roy jumping to the side as the line flashed across him. He had certainly hit a nerve with his last comment as Nirlinya was not only trying to attack him, but slashing apart the ground all around her a frantic fit. Roy on his part only smirked, doing nothing to quell her burning fury. Bending low on her knees, she launched herself into the air, the ground turning into small craters where her vectors had compressed into the ground.

"I'll make you pay for such insolents human!" Her screech rang in his ears. Raising his hand, most of the Diclonius around him gasped, seeing in their eyes the multitude of hands flying down to tear to pieces. "Keh…right on target." The Sniper muttered.

*BANG!*

"GAH!" Caught off guard, the girl felt the bullet graze past her cheek, sending her flying out of the sky and landing painfully on the ground, sliding a few meters. "Ah…who shot me!" She roared, turning around to where the shot had hit her and suddenly felt a blow to her side, once again sending her tumbling across the ground. "Cheap bastards…where are you!"

Nousou himself also looked perplexed, trying to see any snipers out behind the buildings or trees and yet he could see nothing himself.

Roy chuckled, leaning back and tilting his head to the side. "Having some trouble are we Sheila? I told you not to underestimate us humans."

"Y-You piece of shit! What sort of trickery is this!" She yelled, taking glances around her before finding herself thrown forward by a sudden shot from behind. Her body tumbled, her arms sprawled out before she caught herself, breathing heavily. "Who…who is shooting me?" She growled under her breath.

"There's only been one shooter, and you've been looking at him the entire time."

It was clear by Roy's words that Nirlinya could hardly believe it. "What are you talking about, I haven't seen you fire a single shot other than the first two!" She yelled abrasively, stomping her foot down like an angry child unable to win at a game. The Sniper clicked his tongue and let his bullets, all of them float around him and letting them whizz around him. Startled and finally realizing her mistake, Nirlinya felt the other two bullets whizz past her head to join the swarm surrounding Roy's body. "I think you get the point now Diclonius." Roy uttered coldly. "I have your numbers down, I have your distance down, I have your speed, all of it analyzed within the few short minutes of this fight."

"Unfair…cheap…bastard…"

"Unfair?" Roy exclaimed before shaking his head disappointedly. "I find it kind of hypocritical to call me unfair considering you have invisible arms. Besides all is fair in war and in a war like this I can't exactly play fair with your kind. You see, though annoying as hell sometimes, your kind is truly dangerous. For me, I can't fight the likes of you too directly, but when it comes to indirect fights I'm pretty damn good."

"Is that so…well then why don't I make it fairer on my part eh?" Nirlinya said, surprising Roy. "You human…give me some back up!" She called over to Nousou who after a moment of fidgeting called his clones over to help her out. Roy cursed inside his head, watching as the two clones popped around him. "Watch out!" Ilya screamed as Roy reacted instantly, dropping low on his knees and ducking his head. He felt the hands slash just above him, even cutting off a few strands of turquoise hair before he kicked back firing in front and in the back and yet he could already feel the incoming death. Although he couldn't see what had happened, the curse from Nirlinya and the sudden appearance from Ilya indicated to him that she had stopped the sudden attack with her own hands. "I'm surprised you helped me Ilya, that's not like you…"

"Shut up…" She hissed turning to face Nirlinya while calling to her fellow kin. "Don't be afraid of them, we have the advantage in numbers! Those other two Diclonius might be powerful but together you can stop them." In the Diclonius world, numbers, length and strength were the most important things in a fight. The clones held vectors that were greater than any that they had separately but together, it was different. They had huddled together because they were scared but if they lost this fight than what would happen? Back to the facility, back to pain, misery and neglect and that was assuming they weren't just outright killed. It became clear now to all of them, that for the first time somebody was helping them. That blue haired man might only be human and he may not exactly be the kindest person they knew but…

…he was still the first human to treat them as an equal. He was the first human, perhaps the only human who right now was fighting for their sake. So now, with their freedoms on the line, the young unclothed girls finally decided to make a stand. Alone their cries might have sounded like feeble children but together, it sounded like almost like a war cry, echoing across the skies as they attacked Cynthia without hesitation. Four Diclonius were cut down, their flesh exploding against the others but it only acted as a reminder to win their own freedom for their sake. Six more were cut down before Cynthia was suddenly lifted up into the air, her arms flailing wildly while Nousou looked up in horror as his creation was torn to bloody ribbons.

"You traitors!" Nirlinya roared. The guards around them began firing almost indiscriminately. While a few acted to protect the others from the bullets, the others used their vast numbers to overtake Barbara, lifting her up and gave her the same deal as her cloned sister. Nousou was absolutely heartbroken, even going as far to lift his hands up to the falling pieces with tears streaming down his face. "Ah…C-Cynthia…Barbara…ah…ah…" Nirlinya couldn't have been anymore infuriated if she tried. But her anger wasn't going to stop the other Diclonius, no longer bound by rules or pain to stop them from slaughtering the soldiers with perfect ease. Soon enough there was nothing left but a pile of dismembered bodies sprawled out across the brown dirt, the blood soaking into it. Nousou took several steps back, fearing for his own life and half way made a turn to flee before he felt the sickening feeling of something sliding in and out of his chest.

Unseen by all but the Diclonius, Nirlinya's hand stabbed through his chest, holding his still beating heart outside of his body. "Ah…Ugh…What are…you doing…I'm on your…side…!"

"I don't have cowards or humans on my side…" Nirlinya said, making three precise strikes with her vectors. Nousou shuddered as he felt the hands slice across him like a sword before he felt something strange as if body was both getting light and it was leaking out fluids, something that in his brief moment of consciousness, knew was too true. His midsection came off first, in the midst of his downward fall, his head separately from his shoulders. Lastly, along with his last bit of consciousness, the stop side of his head slid off with a disgusting squelch, showing his warm brain as it fell out and landed along with the rest of his mangled body. Roy didn't so much as bat an eye but merely gave the fallen a man a quick glance before turning his attention back to Nirlinya. He only turned away when he felt the feeling of several people coming up to him before he saw a little to his astonishment that Diclonius standing up near him, glaring daggers at Nirlinya themselves.

"Oh…do I take that you finally trust me?" Roy asked.

"Yes…" One said without a single note of hesitation in her voice. "You have proven yourself better than any human we have ever known. We promise to protect you as you have protected us…" There was a simultaneous nod of heads at those words, arms swarming around to create an exciting vortex the paled poor Nirlinya's in comparison. The girl stepped back several meters, looking around her with surprisingly little fear but a perfect understanding that she was completely outmatched.

"Traitors…all of you. Helping this human and going against your god Kakuzawa-sama. He who wishes to bring you greatness but your all too stupid to realize that he has a bigger plan! He doesn't intend to make you suffer but only to show you that there is indeed a bigger path.

A path you must realize can only be taken when you kill these bastard humans and…!

*SLICE!*

Cut short, she backed away she felt a white hot pain flash across her cheek. Ilya, moving her vectors back uttered coldly to her. "It's you who needs to wake up. From what I know Kakuzawa was the one who started this whole mess. Although…" She said looking at Roy for a moment. "…if things would have been any more different had we not be imprisoned. I've always felt this…strange feeling in me to kill humans but that feeling has…been stopped because of this human's selfless act.

You aren't going to kill him. So why don't you give up right now…I don't really like having to kill one of my own kind."

"You're out of luck…eh I don't think I ever got your name."

"Well screw you…I don't have to say anything to you human!"

Roy merely shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Guess that's true Sheila…" he uttered nonchalantly.

"Gah! Don't call me that human, if you have to know my name is Nirlinya…

Nirlinya Zeruda…"

…

…

Roy suddenly paused, looking at the young and vicious Diclonius with a long and hard look. "What did you say your name was?" He requested, his lips slightly parted. Nirlinya scoffed at him, spitting on the ground at his feet which only enticed the anger of the other Diclonius around them, yet they stopped as Roy stepped forward, going in closer to the girl's range.

"Are you stupid or something man?" Ilya called out but Roy had no time to care about his own safety. He had to know, who it was he was talking to right now. "You said your surname was Zeruda…Nirlinya Zeruda. I must know…if you have any sort of relationship with Orlana Zeruda." At his words the young girl's eyes widened. "H-How do you know my sister?"

*Click* *Click* *Click* his bullets returned to their holsters around the edges of his pants, clicking back into place as he finally looked at her with what could only be described as emotional sadness. No longer did he glare at her as an enemy, ready to end her life at any moment necessary. Instead he was now looking at her with his eyes almost heavy before bowing his head low and muttering under his breath as he felt the broken watch against his chest. "…So…I finally know now…that thing you have always desired…Orlana. Now I see, the ironic truth in what you have always desired. Just as Vorono killed them to save them, you also killed them to save one.

Nirlinya, I'm not going to try to sugar coat this and knowing you I doubt you'd believe me anyways. Your sister…Orlana Zeruda is dead."

"LIAR!"

Her screams didn't surprise him one bit.

"As I said…" he continued, starring almost remorsefully at her hurt and disbelieving face. "…I don't expect you to believe me but the truth is the truth."

"LIAR! I know you humans and your lies…" She roared, her feet launching off the ground as she raced at him with fury escalating from every pore in her body. He was going to be lucky if he even had a shred of recognizable pieces left after she was done with him. Besmirching the great Kakuzawa-sama's name and now besmirching her good sister's name, she should've murdered him the exact moment she saw him. Her arm came out, spitting out striking like a snake directly to his heart and as the others cried out in alarm, she plunged it directly into chest, spewing out blood onto her face. Yet she didn't go all the way, she stabbed through, hearing him grunt slightly in pain but made no other movement. Her fingers digging into his flesh, she could tear his heart out right there, hell she could do more than just that right now. She had him, right in the literal palm of her invisible hands but she stopped because he had made no movement whatsoever. He hadn't even tried to defend himself, raise an arm, nothing. The only thing he did was turn his head to spit a small globule of blood before giving her that same pitying look as he did before.

She kept her hand inside of him, non-lethal for as long as she decided and starred incredulously at him. "Wh-What wrong with you? I'm going to kill you, I'll rip out your heart, aren't you…going to at least try to defend yourself?" Her words were agreed by the other Diclonius, he'd already proven he was more than capable of taking her own and he had easily given them a new found respect for humans and their abilities. Why stop now, when victory was almost certain a moment ago. Why stop and let this happen when he had the advantage only a moment ago.

"Wh-Why!" She cried out in alarm. "A-Are you trying to plan something? Trick me maybe?" But what kind of trick was this, she had him, vector in his body, ready to kill at her own whim. There could only be one logical explanation to this, just one dubious explanation to his actions. He had never intended to defend himself in the first place.

"Why…?" She repeated again softly.

"Former 3rd Cent…Orlana Zeruda…The Clock Stopper…" Roy muttered. "She along with was part of a group of assassins run by our leader Vladimir Cents. For us…we all had a reason for becoming killers. That was to earn money, to earn cash so that we could fulfill our desires. For me, my son was suffering under a life threatening disease and died hating me before I could ever save him. Spiteful, angry, I took my frustration out on the wrong people.

Vorono, another member and close friend of mine, worked in one of the facilities to give the Diclonius some hope in their twisted world. He killed many of your kind in the single name of money and it hurt him so much because what he desired most of all was to actually earn enough to save and protect you all from all the pain that you felt.

Both Vorono and Orlana are dead. They both died trying to save not only the human race but your race as well. Even you know that your sister was human and while we may not have been allies at the end, I did nevertheless respect her. I made a promise…to fulfill the desires of those two. I am not going to defend myself against you and the other Diclonius here will not attack you. If you want to kill me, then by all means you can do it now, what sort of a person would I be if I murdered the desires of Orlana Zeruda."

She couldn't believe her ears.

"Th-That's not going to…b-but…how do you even know she's dead…" She whimpered back at him.

"She was murdered by Vladimir Cents while attempting to stop a missile set by Kakuzawa to annihilate humanity. Your great and almighty god was going to have her and all of humanity killed off. Her life would mean nothing to him at all."

"…Ahhh…that's not t-true…I'm sure if I just…asked…he'd have…h-he'd have…"

"I'm not going to force you to believe me. If you want to kill me go ahead, kill me, leave and go back to Kakuzawa. However before you do, you should take this broken watch hanging down by my chest right now. It is the Clock Stopper, the specialized illusionary weapon that belonged to your sister and the only memento that you may ever have of her.

!

She struggled, her fingers about to tighten around his heart. "Defend yourself…' She mumbled, unable to believe that he was actually doing this. "H-How can you e-even say that…even after a lie like that you…must…

Dead?

Orlana is dead?

A lie, just another lie by these humans but whenever a human lies, they don't allow themselves to be killed like this! So if he…really telling the truth then…

Then…

My sister…really is…dead?

Dead?

If he is telling the truth then…Kakuzawa-sama…really doesn't…

!

"AH!" shrilling loudly she pulled her hand out, forcing Roy back and he grunted again in pain, feeling the small trickle of blood run down his chest. Nirlinya took several steps back before collapsing on her knees with tears streaming down her young and cherubic face. "Kakuzawa-sama gave me a new lease on life, so why would he kill my own sister, it doesn't make any sense!"

"Kakuzawa doesn't care about you or your sister. You are just a pawn for him to use. This is the truth on the matter Nirlinya, you've been misguided and used the entire time. You don't have to live in a lie like that, there are Diclonius and humans are there who will love and take care of you. You don't have to force yourself into such a horrible position and listening to that man. He's not looking out for you, only for himself.

…Nirlinya…" Roy's voice dropped, low, sad and remorseful.

"…Please…don't make this mistake…"

Quivering, she kept looking at Roy then randomly at the ground with her hands pressed against her face. Her small breaths came out raggedly, almost threatening to choke her. "I-I..can't do this…but I…he isn't defending himself, how can he be lying then. Humans are all the same right? Right? If my sister is dead and Kakuzawa-sa…Kakuzawa is behind it…then…then…"

Her vectors disappeared, slowly reforming back into her body.

"…That watch…let me see it." She said, pulling it lightly off of Roy's neck and looking at it. "This was my sisters?" She hugged it close to her, just letting herself imagine all the short but good times she had with Orlana.

"Alright then…" She muttered. "I still can't believe it but…with everything going on. But how can I go against Kakuzawa-sa…how can I go against him?"

"You don't have to go against him alone. It's not just me, a whole group of people are working together for the soul purpose of bringing Kakuzawa down. The only thing you have to do is trust us."

…

…

"Alright…I trust you. I'll trust you for now…I'll help you then and…I'll…"

***BANG!***

Stopped mid-sentence, Roy starred with his mouth agape as a splatter of blood exploded from Nirlinya's head. As if in slow motion, Roy watched as her small frame flew through the air, her small eyes widening just for a moment before the color left them and she collapsed like a dying bird onto the hard ground.

"Ah…ahh…" Unable to speak, Roy could only look in shock at her fallen body before the sound of a quick click brought him back to reality as he and the others turned around to the source.

"From this very moment…" Garder said, holding the smoking black pistol steadily in his hand. "…I will be ending this incomprehensible charade…"

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another chapter finished. Roy has managed to get the Diclonius out of the facility and nearly managed to change Nirlinya's views on life. Yet with cold prescision her life has been tragically ended by Garder F. Morotisan. Now what will happen next on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p> 


	49. The Perfect Soldier

**Chapter 48: The Perfect Soldier**

100 blood cold killer Diclonius against a battalion of soldiers and three other distinctively powered Diclonius seemed like child's play compare to what was going on now and unlike the rest of them, Roy knew exactly what the danger was. Garder wasn't just a mere man brandishing a gun; he was a member of Cents, designated with the highest rank of 'Zero', even higher than Vladimir himself. This old man, with his graying black hair and nearsighted vision could, no, would absolutely and entirely destroy every last one of them. This man had single handedly killed Kurama Mariko at the pinnacle of her power. Power that destroyed everything but the few scraps of Kamakura.

This wasn't about honor, or pride or conviction, this was about survival.

"R-Roy…"

"Huh?" Snapping his head to the side, he looked over as Ilya knelt over Nirlinya's body, the blood seeping from the open wound in her head. Her straggling pink hair brushed around within the night's wind with her lips partially opened. "I can…feel her aura, and she's breathing. She's still alive!" Roy as well Garder's expression displayed a moment of surprise.

"A-Alive…no way…" Roy groaned, knowing for sure she had gotten struck in the head. How lucky she'd have gotten that the bullet hadn't struck a place completely lethal.

"Killing Diclonius is becoming irksome right now. The girl is lucky, but that is all she is…" Garder said darkly, his black pistol clicking loudly as he aimed again. "…Then I will continue to shoot, until she ceases to breathe…"

*BANG!*

Whizzing past his own head, Roy heard the distinctive sound of the ammo being deflected away by Ilya's vectors. "Ilya! Take Nirlinya away, find something to wrap her head up with and keep her propped up." The blue haired man yelled, stepping forward and letting his bullets float around him. The old man didn't flinch, not that it surprised Roy in the slightest, but it was still unnerving all the same. "Of course…but what about you!" The young girl cried out, slowly lifting the comatose girl with her corporeal hands, balancing her head upright. The other Diclonius had already created a boundary around Roy, their crimson eyes locking on to the singular old man whose only response was to put his hands on the lining of brown coat.

"You fools! This is no time to play the heroes! All of you run away right now!" Roy roared at the top of his lungs, unbelieving from the answer he received from them. "We can't do that…Roy Synth. You helped us out of our mess; we'll help you out of your mess. Besides, we can't run away from just one old man. It's about 90 of us and only one of them, running away would just make us cowards!" At those words, their vectors simultaneously went off, slashing around the ground and air to produce an incredibly dense cyclone of energy. With their combined powers radiating at full potential, they could muster up the same chaotic energy as Mariko herself, though of course they didn't have even a fraction of the same range though. One girl, her hair billowing in the wind smirked devilishly at Garder, displaying the true killer side of her species.

"We won't run…not from just one human."

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

The old man began to fire, rapidly shooting at the Diclonius at multiple angles, his ears trying to pinpoint the location of openings in their defenses. Perhaps there was a chance, if they managed to kill him before he got the upper hand. Aiming the first shot, Roy went straight for the head, letting his bullet fly through the air in the hopes of hitting his target. Dodging bullets completely is impossible; there is no way that the average human body can move at a speed to avoid a shot. The same goes for Garder, he can hear them, sense them, even see the tiny flick of black coming at him and as such, he is able to move on instinct but no more.

*BAM!*

It strikes through his shoulders, his eyes closing to allow only the most important sounds to enter his ears. He can never completely avoid bullets, and in truth he is lucky because of Roy's powers. If Roy fired from an actual gun, its speed and trajectory would already be instantaneous. For his powers now, Roy's bullets must first pick of speed, giving Garder just a split opportunity to react. But his reaction speed is only human, no, with his age it is even less. At his position he cannot defend every shot, and let's his ears locate trajectory's that would hit important vitals such as his heart or head.

*Whish* *Whish* *Whish*

It takes each shot 1 second to reach him, tearing across his sides and arms as his body moves in just the positions to avoid a particularly lethal strike.

"I swear…avoiding bullets…" Roy mumbled, picking up the pressure. "He's damn good, but eventually he'll tire out or make a mistake." Shot after shot, zipping through his body, tearing his flesh off until at last the old man collapsed to his knees, the gleam of his glasses shining brightly in the moon light. Then he aims again, this time at Roy with his bloodied arm, firing rapidly as the Diclonius instantly go to the defensive, jumping in front of him to take down the strikes.

*BANG!*

*BANG!* *BANG!*

Each shot is deflected easily until at last the only sound left is the clicking of the pistol as all the bullets have been used up.

"We can…actually win…." Roy thought, watching as Garder got up with a clear sign of a struggle, his breaths coming out in ragged blows. The Diclonius stepped forward, still adding some protection for Roy as his bullets circled around Garder, coming in closer and closer. Surrounded and with no way to avoid the strikes, Roy knows that this may be his last chance.

*BANG!* *BANG!* BANG!* BANG!* BANG!*

All of them, blast through the air simultaneously.

The only thing Garder does, or perhaps can do is place his hand against his heart and head, and be obscured by a thick curtain of dust where a few shots and pounded into the ground at his feet. Something heavy has fallen, most certainly his body and Roy sighs in relief, never figuring out they could have won so quickly or so easily. Well he is right to think of such things.

It isn't that easily.

The brown coat flutters out of the dust cloud, floating past Roy's head as the dust too begins to settle away. Garder is on the ground, lying on one knee with his hands clenched tightly and outstretched as if he is holding something. Shirtless, his torso is powerfully built and filled with battle scars not just from the fight right now, but scars that will never heal no matter how much they are treated. Wars scars, scars from over 10 years ago during his time as a soldier. The most particular seems to be two jagged marks that rise up to the center of his chest, obscured by his arms. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Roy notices something very important, none of his bullet are around right now. He tries to bring them back, wondering where they are and in a single moment of realization that shocks him to his core, he finally realizes exactly where his bullets are.

"He…caught them…" He mumbled aloud, starring incredulously at Garder's closed fists, slightly shaking as his bullets try to escape his grip. "That's impossible, there's no way in hell he could have…" And stops midsentence as the director finally lowers his hands, standing sternly with the wind blowing his straggly hair around and the gleam of his glasses shining brightly. But that's not the only thing that shines brightly in the dark of the night. Etched against his chest where the scars meet, is the bright object of The Perfect Soldier's silver coin.

"You may understand now why I am called 'The Perfect Soldier." Garder said solemnly, taking several steps forward with his hand still gripping Roy's only matter of offense and defense tightly and with no intentions of letting them go. "Just as you have your trump card with your silver coin, able to control several bullets and move them at your own whim, I too have my own silver coin trump card. However…I do not need to ingest my coin to utilize its powers."

"What exactly is that power…?" Roy asked.

"Synchronized Reflexive Stimulation."

"Huh?" Roy was easily confused and tenses up as Garder lowers his body, bending his knees low. "There is no point in telling you, in a few short seconds you will understand completely. I give you all this one warning, cease this charade and return back to the facility where you belong. Otherwise, I will have no choice but kill you all right now."

They stand their ground, some even scoffing at him. "The only person who should run away is you." One said coldly, their hands still traveling around each other to form the makeshift shield. The last thing Garder does is use the palm of his hand to push his glasses off of his nose, letting them fall slowly to the ground before his boot steps on them, shattering into the night. Then at last, he breaths in once, taking in a huge amount of air and then slowly releasing it.

And then at last…he moves.

"What.." Roy manages to get the first word out at which Garder has already cleared the first 5 paces. He's not sure if he did it in a single bound or if his legs had just moved so quickly that only seemed as such.

"…The…" At the second word, Garder is already within less than a meter at the wall of Diclonius, his fist shooting out beyond the speed of even a professional boxer.

"…Hell…?" At the third word, which he's hardly able to finish in the first place, Garder by passes all measures of defense, finds the first single hole of weakness and slams his fist harshly against the first's girl's face. But it's not normal, it was never normal to begin with and it's only made clear now what Garder's ability true is. The girl's face and most of her head is bashed completely off of her shoulders, blood spewing out in a stream of crimson gore. Shocked, disbelieving, horrified, unrelenting shock is the only thing that comes out of their mouths before Garder moves his body to the side, literally inside the maelstrom of swarming vectors and yet moving in a way that every arm is avoided.

*BASH!*

The second one goes down, perhaps never even knowing what hit her in the first place.

He moves again, twisting his body rapidly in a sudden leap so that he's suddenly above the horde of girls, starring down at them from his high angle. His body twists, and turns, avoiding every single hand before his foot slams down on the third one's head, shattering her skull without mercy.

*BASH!*

4th

*BASH!*

5th

*BAM!*

6th

*SMASH!*

7th

This is the power of the Zero Cent, Garder Ferajhan Morotisan. Synchronized Reflexive Stimulation. A chemical inserted into his body that allows his senses to explode beyond their normal capacity and yet it doesn't stop there. If it merely increase the senses, his body would have been destroyed internally under the intense pressure. It amazingly not only increased his senses, but his body's internal mental and physical factors as well so that he does not suffer under the weight of his own ability.

There is however some setbacks to his abilities, although currently it may have been hard to realize what they were.

Garder is now completely blind. His vision is blank, a dark cloud of nothingness as he lets his ears be his eyes for the fight. He can't see, he can never rely on his vision and it of this reason that he is truly the perfect soldier. A soldier who loses his sights is beaten, they have nowhere else to go. Garder has surpassed that eternal weakness, becoming a true master of war.

At the 17th death, Roy can't take it anymore. "Idiots, if you all die what's the point of saving you all! Shit!" Still desperately trying to remove his bullets, he cures aloud in his frustration until a sudden idea comes to him. He's been trying to pull them away but what if he tried something a little differently. Concentrating his mind, instead of trying to pull his bullets out, he instead begins to move them rapidly inside of Garder's hand. There are 30 bullets in total so both hands must be complete full with them. By moving them back and forth simultaneously, friction begins to build up until at last Garder's hands have already begun to turn red and his fingers suddenly pry open, the weapons shooting out to freedom.

!

Bringing his weapons back together, Roy wasn't going to risk shooting Garder again without careful planning.

"I find it hard that you are truly the 5th cent, Roy Synth, The Sniper." Garder mumbled. "Your powers, abilities and skills have increased drastically since you were first went out to kill Elrya Alya. As a soldier, I must truly admire your abilities and advancements."

"I guess that's a compliment…" Roy muttered. "Hey girls…" He whispered. Ilya took Nirlinya away right?"

"Yeah…"

"Good. I know you all want to stay but seriously, use this chance to run away. With your vectors you should at least be able to stay high enough for Garder not to reach you and should be able to spread enough distance to escape while I keep him at bay."

"No way…even if we…"

"Dammit, just do as I say. There are only about 70 of you guys left, what would I do if all of you got killed. You've already proven your bravery well enough, don't blow it away with something stupid like this. There's a difference between bravery and stupidity and running away right now to live for not just your sake but the sake of other Diclonius hardly counts as cowardliness. Besides…" Roy continued with a false smile. "I'm Roy Synth, The Sniper. I don't lose easily…"

Unable to see but certainly able to hear every single word that's been said, he charges forward without letting Roy speak another word. At last they swallow their pride and simultaneously leap into the air, Garder's fist barely missing the last one before they, with one long look at Garder, head off into the same direction that Ilya went off with Nirlinya. Roy attacks, knowing full well that with his new found abilities he could easily keep up with the young girls who flew off like a flock of birds. With the Diclonius leaving, Roy stands his ground, shooting at Garder as he zips and turns around, his bodily movement even able to avoid the strikes of Roy's powerful ammo. But he's caught now, unable to head after the Diclonius themselves, he's forced back into a fight with Roy. Then at last with no way to go after them, Garder stopped along with Roy, the two members standing apart, Fifth Cent and Zero Cent.

"I guess I win this time…it feels pretty good." Roy mumbled, smiling despite himself. "I've been on a bit of a losing streak right now so it's kind of nice to win once in a while." Yet the blue haired man isn't out of the woods yet and it's became painfully obvious how outmatched he is right now. Garder's coin allows him to ignore normal bodily functions and operate at a superhuman peak.

"To think that you have fallen to the place of a traitor Roy."

"Traitor?" Roy asked sarcastically. "I'm not a traitor, though I do admit I've been a grade 'A' fool for a long time. The question I should be asking is, why are you going this far? What do you possibly have against Diclonius that would make you go this far?"

"That is of no concern to you…" Garder answered plainly. Roy only sighed at the remark.

"Yeah…I suppose it is. After all you were the first member of Cents, so great that Vladimir himself, the leader designated you with a higher number than even himself. We are nothing but assassins, killers seeking money for our own personal use. Unable to finish the job yourself, you seek the assistance from the rest of us. You'll kill any Diclonius or humans without hesitation and with ease at that, yet when it comes to Elrya Alya you adamantly refuse to kill her yourself. You kept waiting and waiting and waiting. Do you have something for her?"

"…"

"No answer I see…" Roy uttered. "Well then I'll change the question then. The members of Cents all joined together under one cause, we all had a single desire. This desire we believed would be solved with hard cash. Some of us have different desires, and while the majority of us thought money was the answer, I really doubt that.

Saving a son.

Saving a group

Saving a sister

Eternal Suffering

What do you desire then Garder?"

The elderly director starred in the direction of Roy, narrowing his blind eyes before answering. "That is of no concern to you…"

_What I desire…_

"Kuh, typical answer from you Garder."

"Of course, but the time for talk has finished. I plan on ending this right now."

And then he moved, his legs traveling across the dusty dirt as Roy just barely managed to widen his gaze before Garder was upon him. A difference of about 5 meters separated them, there was no way to avoid the strike, and his reflexes allowed him to even dodge his own bullets. Therefore, the only thing Roy could do was just think that maybe, if only a little bit, he had done some good in his life.

When the cold fingers hit his chest, he knew it was finally over.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another chapter done, the battle between Roy and Garder heats up and with the use of his own Silver Coin, Garder has easily taken the upper hand, single handedly killing 20 of the Diclonius and would've gone for more had if not been for some timely actions. Through sheer luck, young Nirlinya has narrowly escaped death though at the cost of being in a comatose state. In one short burst, Garder decides to end Roy's life once and for all, aiming for his own beating heart. What will happen next time on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p> 


	50. Split Acts Of Decisions

**Chapter 49: Split Acts Of Decisions  
><strong>

Blood seeps down his chest again, another hole ready to be punctured, this time though there is no stopping it. Unlike Nirlinya, Garder's hand will go straight through, taking his heart and perhaps crushing it in the palm of his hand. His fingers, cold and icy and have already dug into his chest, piercing flesh to reach the beating object inside Roy's body. Can't say it was a great or pure life, but at least he had made a small bit of a difference. Dying sucked no matter how one looked at it, but at least now he was prepared. Well better to say that Roy was too proud to start crying over something as simplistic as death anyways. There's nothing else to be said and to be thought, for in a few short seconds, everything became eternally black.

Except it didn't…

!

The fingers have split the skin, ready to pierce, and yet they don't. They struggle with some force that its grip tightly around Garder's arm, the sound of metal shaking churning madly as it threatens to break.

"Having some trouble eh…mate?" Bando hissed, tightening his metallic fingers as much as he could while sweat dripped from his face. "Finally managed to get back here in just the nick of time to save your sorry ass. What's up with you getting beat up by an old man?"

"Tsk…save the insults for later." Roy muttered with a dark smirk before Bando whipped out his gun, aiming at Garder's head. Removing his hand, Garder swerves to the side, the bullet barely grazing past his face. He's still apt enough to dodge them but when a gun is placed only a few centimeters from one's head, even superior reflexes will have a hard time dodging it. The elderly soldier hears the clip being inserted and shots being fired like loud screeching bells to show their exact location. "Is this bastard dodging bullets!" The ex-SAT soldier roared.

"It's his trump card, the Silver Coin, it gives him an incredible boost of his senses. By the way, thanks for the save, I owe you one."

"Damn straight you do." Bando answered back, pulling his gun back and waiting. "Careful now…" Roy muttered, also taking his stance as his bullets come in closer. Bando's first attack has proven something to Roy, the difference between long range and short range fighting. Fighting Garder at a distance may keep him at bay, though only barely, but at the distance his body can avoid their weapons. In close range combat, they have a better chance of hitting him but then again, Garder has an even better chance.

*Zip*

Closing the distance as fast as he had before, the direct is in front of Bando's utterly stunned face in an instant, fist flying out to crush his head.

*SMASH!*

And that fist slams into the mechanical appendage, running through the circuits of his false hand. With his teeth grinding together, Bando isn't sure how much his hand can't take and Roy can't believe it has taken this much at all. Bando's hand was supposed to have a limit of 50kg; Garder's punch went way passed that. "I had the old man Kurama make a few modifications…" Bando said with a leer. "Pretty damn sweet huh?"

*Click*

*Click*

*Click*

The three move at the same time. Bando's desert eagle presses against the side of Garder's head as with one single fluid motion, Garder has a second gun directly placed against Bando's heart, while 5 bullets directly hover near Garder's head. The three stand in their positions, mind and trigger fingers ready to pull and end the lives of each other once and for all.

"You're blind…" Roy said at last, gazing into Garder's colorless slit eyes. "I only just now see it; you are blind, unable to physically see."

"Aye." Garder answered back. "This is the consequence of using my powers; my vision has slowly eroded away. It is why I wear glasses in the first place and soon enough I will probably go completely blind in only a few years, maybe even less than that." They still don't move though and though Roy currently has the best position, he's not going to attack when Bando is also in the same heat.

Thus they continue to remain motionless.

"Why don't either of you shoot?" Garder questioned.

"Isn't it obvious?" Roy replied back, starring sternly at the old man. "Your reflexes are too good, if either of us shoots, you can easily kill Bando there. Although I doubt the man cares about death, it still a damn well important thing that I let him live." The director narrows his blind eyes sternly, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "So in short, you are placing the last bet of your cards on sheer luck. So tell me Roy and Bando, are we to remain in this position for an eternity?

It seemed like the case until the three heard a distinctive sound from the sky. They don't even need to look up to know what it is; it's the sound of propellers for a helicopter. 4 of them hover above, perhaps extras sent in by Kakuzawa to finally end this whole mess once and for all. The fact is both right and there is more to it. It is more men sent in my Kakuzawa to finally end this whole mess once and for all, and as the choppers land, the soldiers hurrying out with their rifles raised on Bando and Roy. Then at last, someone else comes out, none other than the Head Director himself, Senior Kakuzawa.

"Well, if it isn't old man Kakuzawa himself…" Roy spoke, smiling darkly at the wrinkled old man. "What's the Head Director doing in a place like this?"

"Still your tongue, human…"

"Aye, I'm human, and damn proud to be one too. So what does that make you Kakuzawa, neither human nor Diclonius, just a literal freak of nature."

Kakuzawa frowns deeply at him. "You have mistaken your place, I am a god, and you are merely a lowlife that has been allowed to live for far too long. What happened here Morotisan?"

"The Diclonius have escaped…" He replied back simply. "The last time I saw they had headed west, although by now they've more than likely split up. There was nothing I could do at the time." Kakuzawa shook his head disappointedly. "It would seem you are just as useless as the other humans Morotisan."

He ignores the insult.

Garder finally steps away, lowering his gun because he neither fears death, nor expects to be shot at now. If either Band or Roy firs now, the soldiers around them will turn them into a bloody pieces of unrecognizable meat. Walking around, Kakuzawa's glare is firstly on Roy, perhaps still feeling irked that such an ant would dare to talk to him, a god, in such a way. "That's a rather unique little ability you have their, human scum. I must ask, how did you lose your arms, they look like the wounds that one of the proud Diclonius would commit."

"Aye Kakuzawa, your words are exactly as you say. I kind of got myself on the bad end of the deal in a fight, sucks to be me I guess."

"Indeed. Now you will both die for trying to go against a god. I wonder where Nirlinya is, she was a good person, a true Diclonius loyal to her god." Neither Roy, Band, nor surprisingly even Garder say anything on that matter. Swiftly raising his hand, sweat pours from The Sniper's face as he hears the guns clicking all around them.

"Aim..

FI…"

"STOP!" Yelling out the last words, Roy can hardly believe his ears. Did Garder just tell Kakuzawa to cease shooting him? The Head Director is of course momentarily taken aback by this clear denouncement of an order. Clearly waiting for a damn good answer, the old man turns to face Garder, placing his thick hands into his pockets. "Are you trying to stop a direct order not only from your superior Morotisan, but also from the god of all Diclonius? You may be human but I had always viewed you as one of the smarter bit of your species. I hope you have a damn good reason for trying to deny me right now." With his cold calculating eyes still locked onto eyes that are slowly being filled with color, indicating that the serum is running out, Garder responded. "Both of these two have infected by the Diclonius Vector virus, Bando himself has even been infected by the Queen herself, Lucy. I have no qualm in having you kill them, but it would be imperative that you perhaps bring them back to the facility for further experimentation. After you are done, then by all means kill them."

!

"I don't believe it…" Roy thought hesitantly. "This isn't about experimentation, Garder is actually showing us mercy and trying to keep us from being killed."

"Kah! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Laughing manically, a broad and heinous grin crosses Kakuzawa's face as his eyes stare insanely at him and then at the two prisoners. "I must apologies Morotisan, I am so used to seeing your species being so stupid that I forget that some of you can be quiet smart, though it doesn't stop you all from being inferior apes. That is a great idea, all of you; secure them, do something about the blue one's bullets too, and take them back to the Kyoto facility. I'm going to enjoy probing every bit of vital information out of you two." Laughing at the end of his sentence, Kakuzawa turned around, heading back to the helicopter along with a few others.

Guns pointed at their backs, Roy and Bando are forced into one of the choppers themselves, unarmed and without their weapons as Garder steps past Roy, heading back to his own facility to get things straighten up over there.

"32941…"

!

Unable to ask what that had meant, Roy is carted off with his partner onto the chopper, and it soon soars off into the nightly moonlit sky.

* * *

><p>Elrya Alya and Yin had managed to find a simple but quite cozy hotel on the outskirts of the city, thankfully managing to avoid any sort of trouble though they both knew that probably wasn't going to last long. Though she wanted desperately to continue looking for Miriana, she also knows that she does need rest. The young Diclonius sits in the tub, letting the hot water wash comfortably over her body as she relaxes her head against a moist towel. Through all the hardships that she's been going through in just a single day, it feels good to finally get a bit of relaxation. Soft bubbles float around her, the Diclonius wanting to try the soap out and had gotten a little too happy with it.<p>

Finished with her bath, she got out, drying herself off and wrapping the towel around her when all of a sudden, the door opened up. "Now I just…ELRYA!" Yin spluttered, walking in with his own towel wrapped tightly around his waist and not expecting to walk in, once again on the Diclonius in such a position again. "I need to start knocking…" He thought heavily, quickly shaking his head. "I am so sorry Elrya, I didn't mean to barge in like that."

"It's ok Yin, I should've told you that I was going to be taking a bath, and it's my fault. If you want, you can use the bath now, I'm finished with it…AH!" Trying to walk away and let Yin do his business, the poor Diclonius slipped on a small puddle of water, nearly falling back until Yin reached out and caught her in the nick of time, holding her steadily in his arms. "Are you ok?"

"Ah…Y-Yeah…thanks." She answered back, slowly leaning into Yin's arms for support. "Silly me, I wasn't paying attention that's all." She muttered. A few seconds pass by while Elrya collects her cool and by then she finally notices how close she is to Yin again and in such a compromising position. They both realize it, looking at each in their eyes for what seems like forever before Elrya moves her head up and pecks Yin quickly on his lips. Eyes fluttering innocently, she reaches up again, kissing the bottom of his lip before locking her lips smoothly around his own. Alya emerges finally and before either of them can say a word otherwise, their mouths are dancing around, tongues tasting and licking passionately.

Then, as their kiss deepens, their towels slowly drop from their bodies.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Chapter 49 is now complete and with a twist ending as well. Meanwhile Elrya Alya and Yin consummate their unofficial marriage by making love, of which being a T-rated fic that's as far as that scene will go. So what will happen next, on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p>

R&R


	51. Upon The World's Agony

**Chapter 50: Upon The World's Agony**

How do 70 completely nude Diclonius manage to avoid detection in a city like Osaka bustling with people even after dark? Well in a world of hope and care, they would've avoided detection at all cost, and would've been sought out as poor children in desperate need of help and attention. Unfortunately such a world did not exist and avoiding detection was something that just wasn't going to happen. There was only one response that 70 nude girls with horns could elicit from the people who starred at them through grimy and sleepy eyes.

Absolute chaos.

Screams split the dawn as certainly Armageddon had now happened. Horns, pink hair, strange occult powers, it was just as Kakuzawa had foretold, the end had come. Just one of these strange girls had been enough to destroy Kamakura, leaving nothing but a wasteland behind. What on Earth would happen if 70 of these monsters got together in one place? One place, forget that, the sheer numbers would spread out, probably killing everyone that came in contact with them. The Diclonius didn't so much as move, some even gave the humans questioning and curious looks but for the people, all they saw was the cruelest of death glares. Having been set free into such a world, the poor pink haired children had little understanding of what to do or to say, and as such, merely roamed around in search for a way to finally make people see that, they weren't so different after all.

Holding Nirlinya's body up, Ilya too found herself out in the open, though for her she had purposely come out to desperately ask for help. "Please! Somebody she needs help!" Her small voice cried out, eyeing the group of people who huddled together in mass, some of them making strange gestures as if trying to shoo her away. "Isn't there a…" She tried to think of the word. "…Hospital or something! This girl is going to die, don't you see the blood!"

But no movements were made; some even made a mad rush away from the two Diclonius. There was no telling how much longer Nirlinya had to live; such a wound required intensive medical care, even as a Diclonius living in the facility for most of her life, she understood that concept well enough. So why we're they all standing there, doing nothing as poor Nirlinya bled to death all over Ilya's front. Turning quickly, she screamed at others who had gathered around though always keeping back, both afraid and curious of what they saw. "What do you want from me? If she doesn't get out right away she's going to die, please help her!" It was Roy's wish to save Nirlinya, this girl in some form of way was important to Roy and thus, even after what she did, she had to be saved.

"Please…" Nothing but a whimpering beg came from her voice now. Ilya no longer had that arrogant and proud look in her eyes, she was visibly crying now. "…Help her…please help her…

…Guh!" Groaning loudly, her eyes flashed dangerously, certainly causing a huge panic from the people before she took her hands and slammed them upon her head, trying to hid her own horns that poked out between her fingers. "Help! Help her! She isn't a monster, I am not a monster! I am like you, just…HELP HER!" Screaming at the top of her lungs, she lost all hope and collapsed forward, still holding Nirlinya's body. There is no point in trying to seek help from these beasts. Roy was one in a million; there is no point in trying to ask others for something that is impossible.

"Help…" Her voice comes out in a whisper.

"…Please help…"

!

Something suddenly jerks before she realizes that Nirlinya is being lightly picked up some strange men in white, no like those of the facility but something a little different. One of them, a young man with a straggly beard gives her a hardened look. He's clearly sweating and clearly looking as if he is regretting even being this close to her. Gasps fill her ears; apparently whatever he is doing is not something they have expected. Lifting her head feebly, he stares at him through half-lidded crimson eyes. "Are you helping her…? Help…?" She squeaked, hoping with all of her heart and the last bit of respect she has for humanity that he will say yes. He still looks at her strangely, swallowing deeply and believing with all of his soul that he will die at any second now.

"…Yeah…" His voice barely audible, his nod brings a new found hope for Ilya and for humanity in general. The wounded Diclonius set upon a stretcher, the doctors all fidgeting but working together to put Nirlinya into the ambulance of which Ilya also enters before it too soars off with its sirens wailing shrilly. Sitting down next to Nirlinya, Ilya watches as the doctors begin doing all sorts of things, putting tubes in her mouth and arm, strange devices beeping together, she almost fears that this is another wicked experimentation. Half way as Nirlinya's body begins to convulse wildly, she believes that they are trying to kill her. One of her vectors emerge, invisible to them but her expression clearly states that she wants to do know what is going on.

A young woman answers her.

"She is…going into a state of shock."

"What's that?" Ilya asked, not quite understanding.

"It might be…hard to explain. We're trying to calm her body down right now. We're heading for a hospital right now. Here." She reaches for a small coat and wraps it around Ilya's shoulders. "You should stand out without anything on, wear this please." The young Diclonius pulled it over her shoulders, relishing in the first article of clothing that she has ever worn in years. "You promise to help her right? You promise to do everything you can to help her…right?"

The young woman swallowed deeply before nodding curtly. "Y-Yeah…we'll do everything we can to help her, I promise." Her face is still red, and she seems to be on the verge on crying which Ilya understands is because she is afraid. It is taking all of their courage right now to work on Nirlinya in the presence of what they believe to be a legitimate demon and unfortunately their fears are more than reasonable. As far she can tell they've kept to their promise because Nirlinya's body has stopped convulsing and her breathing has returned to a more stable condition.

"How is she doing?" The horned girl asked aloud.

"We've calmed her body down and put anesthetics in her, though she stills needs to go directly to urgent care right away. We'll be arriving at the hospital in about 5 minutes." One doctor answered back. "This girl is extremely fortunate, from what I can tell the bullet manage to avoid piercing her actual brain and is lodged within her cerebral cortex." She isn't sure what he means exactly but gets enough to understand that her brain hadn't suffered a direct hit. Nirlinya could count herself as one of the luckiest people in the world now. "What is this thing?"

The young woman slowly handles the broken stopwatch hanging by Nirlinya's neck, handling it delicately between her fingers. "It looks kind of like a stopwatch…" She mused, mostly to herself at that point. Ilya also took a long look at it, trying to see anything unique about it though it wasn't like she had any prior knowledge of stopwatches in the first place. "Somebody gave it to her, a young man and the owner of that watch was apparently her sister whom Roy, the man who saved us, was well acquainted with." She finished still looking closely at the watch herself, and tilting her head to the side to find yet again anything that might have made it a little more unique than usual.

"What do you mean saved? I thought…" The conversation suddenly took a nose dive in a direction the doctors had never thought to have come. They had, like the rest of the world, assumed that the Diclonius were merely people who had been living in secret and preparing to kill and overtake the human race. They continued to monitor Nirlinya but it was apparent now that they were all interested in what Ilya had to say, even going as far to suddenly ignore the irrationalities of fear. The Diclonius cleared her throats, suddenly realizing that this might a chance to make people understand the truths about Diclonius.

A truth she finally speaks out at last.

* * *

><p><em>A Diclonius can never have a relationship with a human…it is entirely impossible. Humans are the plague of the world, always taking and never giving. Therefore, Diclonius and humans will always be eternal enemies, sharing nothing but pure hatred for each other. They can never co-exist, no matter how hard they might try. It is absolutely impossible for Diclonius and humans to have any sort of relationship whatsoever. It is impossible.<em>

_It is impossible…_

_It is…a lie…_

It has now all become a lie, her hate, her frustration; her undying spite against humanity has ended. No longer is there a burning rage for the non-horned people; no longer is there an undying spite for those whom she used to believe could harbor nothing but ill thoughts for her kind. At long last, she can fully admit, that she was wrong about humans. She can finally admit it. At long last…finally.

Snugged peacefully in Yin's arms, their naked bodies share the warmth, her small head resting peacefully on the slow rise and fall of his sleeping chest. It's come this far for the two, though it has truly been a short time, it feels as if they have known each other for years. Never in her wildest dreams would she have believed that her life would have come this far and to be together like this with a human. There is no qualm in her actions; it would be a lie equal to Vladimir himself to say that she hasn't enjoyed it, the feeling of making love to Yin. She knows that for Yin, her age has always been an issue, although for her such things have always been trivial. But things cannot be undone once they have started and tonight, they have truly become one and whole.

For tonight, they hold each other, letting a moment of much needed peace overcome their bodies and mind. Tomorrow, they will have to return back to the cruel world reality and more importantly, back to saving Miriana.

* * *

><p>"<em>Originally this was all just a simple game to amuse myself. Elrya Alya was merely another name that was on the hit list, she would die, the payment would be made and that would be it. I never truly expected for this journey to come so far, but she is truly something else. That powerful and unrelenting conviction that flows through her body was like the ultimate challenge to me. Her pure devotion to her dreams that was so strong is seemed to equal my own desires. It was something I seen only once before, once a go in the past 10 years ago. For the first time in 10 years, I found somebody who could finally call…rival.<em>

_A perfect, unrelenting, devoted enemy. Those red eyes, I saw nothing but pure devotion in them, to save not just herself but her friends and family as well. But that would never be enough to earn my desires, no it was sheer fact that her dreams were so heavily influenced that they went beyond normality. The members of Cents were unleashed their purpose to earn money for me, it became even more important. I wanted to see her improvement, see the change of that dream being shattered as reality overcame her. Yet despite everything that was thrown at her, despite even going as far as showing her the fact she murdered her own mother, she's always kept that devotion to her dream._

_I desire to kill…_

_I desire to torture…_

_I desire to mutilate…_

_I desire to die…_

_I desire to create a world of complete suffering, not of chaos but of order, but an order of suffering. That is to say, I wish to create a tyrannical world, where everyone including myself is suffering under an ordered world. I never had a real reason behind this; it was merely an idea that filled my head a long time ago, just a single desire to make a world of eternal suffering. I even went as far to question why I would think such stuff; I grew up knowing and understanding moralities. Murder, theft, lies, all it I knew was wrong, it wasn't as if I was new to the concepts at all. These moral teachings were well versed in my head and I even went as far to try and retain that morality. _

_Yet I always felt empty inside. No matter how hard I tried, I never could find any reasoning or joy in such things as morals. I killed my father…I killed my mother…my brothers…sisters…families…friends….strangers…and it was glorious. Never have I ever felt more alive than it is when I am screwing over the lives of others around me. It is a feeling of bliss to watch fear and horror and pain seep through the air from my victims, allowing me to drink their anguish. What if I created a world of complete suffering, wouldn't it be great? _

_But my desires are being challenged by her dreams and it amazes me. Such devotion that I have only seen once before, I truly wonder just how different they truly were. _

_All of it…for one single reason. _

_I am…incorrigible…"_

…

…

Opening his eyes to the bright morning sun and the smell of the ocean to his nose, Vladimir Cents smirks up upon the blue skies above him. "How quaint…to think of such things as the past. How quaint to even remember something like that, I owe more to Elrya Alya than I even imagined. Hmmm…?" Moaning loudly in question, Vladimir got up from his seat, stretching his arms walking up to the front of the ship, placing his hands up to his face to obscure the bright sunlight, he saw as his twisted smile increased…

"…Land." He mumbled joyfully, seeing the shadows rise over from the horizon. "It's amazing how quickly we got here, fine things these boats are, and I truly need to learn how to drive one." Still smiling that same despicable grin that he always had, Vladimir took one deep sniff of the dried up blood around him before going up to the Captain's deck and opening the door. Miriana, whom had been peacefully resting on her cot suddenly, squirmed uncomfortably as if she could subconsciously sense the danger herself. Opening her eyes up, she shot opened awake with her head hurting from the rush and scurried against the wall.

The Captain starred at him through his elderly eyes, even going as far as to put a protective hand in front of the frightened young girl.

"Good morning…Miriana." Vladimir uttered. "We're your dreams ones of peace and tranquility? It's time to wake up; we're almost there if I assume that mass of land in front of us is Europe."

"Aye…" The Captain said grimly, steering the wheel has he spoke. "We'll be there in about 30 minutes or so."

"Very good, you sir have been an excellent help for me. Though short, this has also been an excellent cruise, the sheer enjoyment of relaxation is something that I truly admire…"

*SPLURT!*

"AH!" Crying out in shock, Miriana shrilled loudly as Vladimir's black rod struck through the old man's chest, catching him by surprise. "Ah! Why! He didn't do anything at all! He's been helping you the entire time why are you doing this!" She couldn't believe it, couldn't take it, and couldn't understand it at all. The Captain coughed, clutching the rod sticking through his chest as blood seeped from his lips. The dark man twisted it, dragging it out and partially pulling out part of the man's heart as he licked the rod sickeningly. Hyperventilating, Miriana screamed as Vladimir scooped her up under her arms, her small legs kicking wildly while tears spilled from her eyes. Lifting his hand up to her, the old man coughed once, then twice and his vision blacked out forever as the last thing he saw was Vladimir taking Miriana away.

"WHY!" She screeched, the smell of blood making her sick to her stomach again. "He was helping you…he was hel-helping you! You're a monster! A genuine monster! Let me go! Let me go!" Miriana kicked and squirmed wildly, even going as far as to bite Vladimir which seemed do nothing more but amuse the twisted man of lies. Remembering something, her hand pulled out her tranquilizer, aiming it at his head and attempting to pull the trigger.

*CRACK!*

!

She screamed as his other hand reached up, grabbing her fingers and snapped the bones clearly in two. Unable to hold her gun, it dropped onto the deck. Holding her mutilated hand, her body shook and shivered from the pain and horror that was becoming of her life. "Ah! Ugh…ah…haa…haa…haa…" She couldn't take it, this pain, this misery, this horrible feeling of hopelessness.

"Help me…" She whimpered…

"P-Please help me…Elrya…Alya…help me please. I-I-I can't take it…I can't take it anymore. Ahhhhh…" As she cried, Vladimir went over to one of the many lifeboats situated on the edge of the ship, quickly pulling one down and jumping onto it in the water with Miriana still in his grasp. "Driving a boat is one thing but rowing is completely different. I just needed the man to drive us this far, I can make the rest of the journey own my own."

"Ah…Ugh…kah! Ahhhh!" Unable to speak, the poor thing only whimpered and cried as she huddled with her arms tightly wrapped around her legs. Suddenly, things like living seemed pointless to her, because there was absolutely no point in living in a world such as this. She was gone, her body only moving in most bases of functions.

She was dead inside.

* * *

><p>A battalion of armed men stood at the dock, not 10, not 20 but 50 fully armed men standing with their weapons held aloft as they saw the incoming ship. "Prepare your weapons, the reports have indicated that this man is incredibly dangerous and must be shot on sight! No warning, shoot to kill." One man roared in an unfamiliar foreign language. "There has also been report of hostages being taken, be careful but once the coast is clear, shoot to kill! I repeat, shoot to kill!"<p>

"This ship is coming from Japan, do you possibly think it's…"

"I don't even want to know…just what kind of world are we truly living in right now."

"These things…Diclonius…what on earth are they really?"

"The ship is coming…all men prepare yourselves…wh-what?" Shocked, the leader of the battalion was forced to take a step back as the ship roamed into the pier…and kept on coming. Forward, forward, forward until the entire cruise ship crashed into the docks, crushing bystanders and armed men alike. Blood and guts splattered under the terrible weight as the entire ship went full force, churning to the side before the engine room suddenly went into overdrive and the entire thing exploded in one hellish inferno.

And even if she knew it now, Miriana was dead inside. She could find no meaning of existence or point in trying to live if it only meant living in a life as terrible as this one. She made strange sounds in her throats, coughing and spluttering as she physically tried to stop breathing but her body would never allow that to happen. Unable to walk on her own, Vladimir dragged her by her hair through their journey. At points he would commit genocide, laughing manically as he did, but for her, there was no such thing as comprehension anymore. Perhaps they rested somewhere, against a tree, the foreign world hitting her ears but never having any comprehension to it.

She was dead inside…

Dead inside…

Dead…inside…

"Miriana…" Her mind recognizes the name, it's her own, a name given to her by her mother and father. She doesn't move her head, merely her eyes as the grey clouds hover above her. She isn't sure how many days has passed or what they've been doing. It is only now that she's become consciously awake and aware of her surroundings. "What is it…?" Her moan is beaten and broken, hardly able to speak.

"We are here…look upon it now with your own eyes…my world.

Upon the darkened skies it rises without distinction, a hellish creation of the most foul sorts. Spreading into the air and across the sky it rises as perversity to all that is holy and good. Spires shoot out at angles beyond recognition, it can't even be described as a construct but something made entirely of horror and pain. The black stained walls, made of eroding stones that are visibly falling apart claim the world as its own and sent into despair. The ground is barren, no vegetation whatsoever will ever grow here.

Beyond her scopes of imagination, her eyes widen as she gases upon Vladimir's world. A world of darkness and lies built from years of abuse and destruction to the core of its finality. That finality she was now gazing at, her eyes traveling upwards with her bottom lip quivering at what she sees.

Sheer black despair, piercing the heavens…

**The twisted citadel of the Dark King of Deceit…**

…**Vladimir Cents.**

* * *

><p>Author's Note: First of all, for those who have been reading the story and especially if you've been reading from the beginning, let me first thank you for reading this far. This is Chapter 50 of Pinpoint Lifeline but it also something else. For all those have patiently and read with hopefully joy and interest, you have now reached the halfway point of Pinpoint lifeline. That's right, we are now half way finished with Pinpoint Lifeline. I hope that you will continue to read and enjoy the story as we go into the second half.<p>

So what will happen next on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"

R&R**  
><strong>


	52. Insightful Unfolding

**Chapter 51: Insightful Unfolding**

"You know…I think I'd rather get shot right now." Roy muttered, starring at the wall with a deadpanned look in his eyes as if he couldn't be more annoyed or bored in his entire life.

"Yeah…how did I get myself dragged into your affairs again?" Bando growled, giving the same look at the wall before mumbling under his breath again.

"Not like I planned this…" Roy replied before both their voices were drowned out by a loud and quite irritatingly familiar voice.

"Shut it, both of you!" Roy and Bando had been brought back from the battle the small facility located in Kyoto where unfortunately it had been decided that a little bit of experimentation was in order. Roy was strapped to the wall, the bars tightening around his waist and legs. The similar device used to hold the Diclonius was given to Bando, holding his arms and neck up to the wall with his legs hanging limply on the floor, too low to stand but too high to sit. Then, as if to add the final insult to their predicament, they were naked. Stark as the day they were born, they seemed to pay no attention to it and for the most part merely looked as if their morning was dull and uninteresting. Of course it wasn't made any better by the fact that the man on duty was the same black haired, black hat wearing pedophile from before.

"Look at you two, think you're something fucking special don't you, must be pretty embarrassing for you right now…eh?"

"I'm hungry…" Bando muttered, still looking at the wall.

"Same." The Sniper replied back nonchalantly.

The proverbial vein sticking out of his hand, the black man stepped up to the burly ex-SAT member and attempted to clout him against the chin. The most it did was numb his own hand as he held it, Bando merely kept looking forward as if he hadn't even head anything much less felt like it. Deciding he'd pick on him later, the unknown man turned his attention to Roy, walking up to him and pulling out his specialized crossbow. "Kakuzawa said to keep you two alive for a little R and R, but I think a little play time is in order."

"Oh great, the pedophile wants to play with me…" Roy moaned exasperatedly, rolling his eyes and sighing deeply. The remark certainly didn't go over the man's head as he pressed the crossbow to Roy's face, making sure the ever familiar poised spiked ball was directly in front of his eyes. Roy on his part, as he had done for the past 24 hours mere gave the same deadpanned expression as before and continued to look forward as if he found the wall the most interesting thing in the world. His rage growing thicker by the second, the dark man in black decided to give Roy a little taste of his fury. Clicking, Roy felt the piercing blow enter into his right side, the poison injecting itself into his bloodstream.

"Kuh…" It was a soft sound, as if he was mildly annoyed by a bothersome itch that couldn't be reached. Tilting his head to the side, he felt his mouth fill with blood before he calmly spat it on the ground. Smirking sadistically, the man found enjoyment in watching Roy's body spasm uncontrollably, his eyes shaking and blood once again filling up and dripping from his mouth. "Hurts doesn't it, bitch? Here, why don't I give you a second course."

*BASH!*

A second orb, shot into chest, digging into his flesh as more venom was pumped into his body. There were no cries of pain, no screeches or even the slightest moan. Roy merely kept his now shaking and blurred vision set on the wall as his body racked with unimaginable pain. "Painful isn't it fucker? Hurts! Hurt! Hurt! It's all you should fucking deserve, you low life bitch!"

"Kuh…the only thing painful right now…" Roy breathed as he finally set his eyes on the man in black. "…Is listening to your bitchy little voice for the past 24 hours. Urgh…" He stopped, calming his mind and letting a rather vicious spasm of agony pass by. "…I'm from fucking Australia mate, I have to get past the world's most dangerous animals just to use the damn bathroom. Compare to the things we have there, you think I'm going to be scared of you and your pussy little peashooter?"

!

Infuriated, the black hat wearing man may have struck Roy again had he not been called over. Initially pissed off, a broad and heinous grin crossed his face as he learned what he would be doing. "Well…it seems we're going to have a little fun now…"

"Oh great, you aren't going to rape me are you?" Roy muttered simply, rolling his eyes.

"KUH! Keep it up, smartass, but I don't think you'll be so cocky after this."

Loud churning of a machine appearing before a large cylindrical device appeared from the widening crevice in the wall. Bando, lifting his eyes up at it muttered, "So what's that?" The Sniper, looking up at it as well merely groaned again and replied starkly. "It's a specialized cannon used to test out the vector strength of Diclonius. It seems they wish to test it out on us humans."

Bando still looking at it shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Spectacular…"

"Starting at 200 joules…"

*BASH!* The first ball struck Bando in the chest, grinding into his flesh and knocking the wind out of him before crashing to the floor by his feet. "Ha! Ha! Ha! How'd you like that you son of a bitch! I bet that hurt! How about we try it at 220 joules!" At those words and the sound of something rushing forward, Bando's felt the impact against his leg, driving into his kneecap and threatening to break under the pressure. Still, no moan, or groans or so much as a flinch came from the soldier, he merely took it like the last one as if he was being hit by a water balloon. Roy had even begun whistling a tuneless song from the sheer incomprehensible boredom he was feeling at the moment. "Let's try it at 270 joules now…" There couldn't have been anymore sadistic pleasure in his voice as the machine whirred and moved, and the next shot went directly for Bando's face.

*BAM!*

His nose might have broken on the impact before the iron ball fell back with blood splattering onto the floor.

"Roy…you said they used to test those freak's arms and strength right?"

"Correct…"

"…Bunch of wimps…"

…

… "It's drafty in here…" Roy uttered after some time.

"Yeah…" Bando answered back lazily.

* * *

><p>They took the blows like true men, only grinding their teeth or shuddering as a natural reflex. Their bodies were bloody and bruised though luckily, with their powerful physiques the most they ever got was a broken nose throughout the whole ordeal. Soon after the would be torture was finished, they were chucked into a specific cell with bars just large enough for a hand to fit through but nothing more and the security code was locked up. Roy, glancing at the security coded machine smirked internally before speaking again to his partner in crime.<p>

"The security machine on the side of the wall, I'm sure you can reach it. Put this code in will you?" Before giving him the same numbers that Garder gave while they were being taken away. Bando, reaching outside the bar fidgeted around the side of the wall, unable to see the actual machine from his angle. "Damn, give me a moment." He muttered so he could get the feel of the machine and tell where the numbers were. He had seen it well enough to know where the numbers were but if a wrong input was inserted it could spell big trouble. Hearing the numbers that Roy gave him and pressed them on the machine and waited. The effect was instantaneous, several small clicks sounded before the gate slid silently open.

Walking out, they checked their surroundings and made a beeline for the exit. Defenseless though they were, whether by luck or something else they didn't have to worry about being caught. They managed to escape just in time to hear a very well pleasing sound of shocked rage and the alarms blaring wildly without pause. Yet before one guard could come out, the two were already long gone.

For one moment as they had escaped, Roy had contemplated heading down to the Diclonius basement and attempting to set them free as well. It would have at the very least saved time from having to come again but he had wisely thought against it. Along with absolutely defenseless, something had been made quite clear. Although both of them might not wish for Kakuzawa's ultimate plan to come to light, Garder clearly did not share the same views about freeing the Diclonius. If they tried to free the young girls there, Garder would certainly come and this time there would be no acts of mercy.

Traveling down the road, the looks they got could hardly matter to them though it was clear many thoughts came to people when they saw two burly men completely unclothed walking together. Turning the corner, they strolled straight into a clothing store, earning a rather shrill and annoying cry from a young woman who just walked out and begun running away before being greeted by the stares of shocked looks from customers.

"Wh-What are you two doing! Do you have any decency?"

"We're saving your asses…" Bando growled, picking up some heavy clothing and walking into the changing room. Roy grabbed himself a pair of long jeans and shoes with his mouth, also walking in and closing the color behind him. Then just as quickly as they came in, the doors sprung open and people watched as the two men walked out, fully clothed and ready for action. A lot of looks were given to Roy along with Bando who noticed that not only had Roy managed to put his own pants on, he managed to even button and zip them up. However, with the weirdness he saw on a daily basis that was something he was just going to ignore. The last thing Roy did however was go to a very thick shirt and bring it over to the ex-SAT soldier.

"It may not have been his, but it's the closest thing that would match Vorono's shirt." Roy uttered as Bando tired it around his waist again, understanding completely.

"Now wait just a second here people! You think you can just walk in…naked and put on some clothes and then just walk out!" The manger yelled, hardly believing what he had seen or the casual manner that the two men had. Coming up from the corner near Bando, a bulky security officer tried to bring the soldier down which might have worked on any other person but for him, trying to take down an expert ex-SAT member proved much more difficult. Bando on his part didn't seem to even look at the guy, he merely tripped him, slammed him on the ground and before he knew it, his pistol was in the man's mechanical hand. This time the customers around began to get worried, fearing for their lives which had now become a customary lifestyle during these harsh times.

"What about you Roy? I know you had some sort of special bullets with that weird ability of yours." Bando growled.

"Aye, my old bullets were connected to the central processing chip that was in my brain. You…" He uttered looking back at the security guard. "Certainly you have another gun somewhere else right?" When the guard didn't answer at first, Bando's pistol clicked against his head. "W-Wait…here…" before slowly brining out another gun which Bando took.

"Listen up people…" Roy called out, looking around at the frightened customers. "I can't say for sure, but more than likely things are about to get more hectic here than they already have. I, my partner here and a group of other people are trying to stop Kakuzawa's plans. However at the same time we are attempting to bring the Diclonius together away from Kakuzawa and into the world…"

He stopped mid speech, rolling his eyes at the sounds of outraged cries.

"A-Are you insane man! Letting those monsters out will get us all killed!"

"They certainly are annoying little things…" Roy continued with the same nonchalant voice as he had been using before, hardly surprised by the retort. "…However as annoying as they may get, and by God can they get fucking annoying, they're still people. Yes, mentally unstable with wacked out powers people, but people nonetheless. Of course considering that every single one of them was birthed by a human, at least gives them some sort of humanity."

One elderly woman quickly jumped the gun. "You're absolutely insane!"

"No, actually I'm pretty fucking sane and smart you old bitch." Roy growled, instantly shutting the woman up. "It may surprise you but some of know what we're doing and instead of bitching to me about things you don't know I highly suggest you all listen to me. Unless you all want to die a horrible brutal death and watch as the human race dwindles to nothing!" Roy's words and demeanor was enough to keep everyone quiet and yet listen diligently at the same time. "Right now a young Diclonius girl is currently trying to save not just her own human friend but both humanity and Diclonius in general from Kakuzawa. I do not want you to put your guards down, it's nothing new that Diclonius can be very dangerous. However, at the very least, show them a little kindness. The psychos have had it pretty bad right now."

"And what if it doesn't work! What if they all come together and kill us anyways! Have you heard of the incident in Osaka, a whole group emerged!"

"Oh that?" Roy uttered simply. "That was us, we helped them to escape, wasn't easy either."

!

"Are you insa…!"

"I don't feel like going through the same speech again sir, kindly shut your trap. It may surprise some of you but these horned killers have been stuck in places far worse than you can imagine. They have been beaten, tortured and ultimately abused through heinous experiments. All I ask is that if you run into one, keep your distance, but show a little kindness.

…Bitches be less crazy when you're nice to them."

* * *

><p>Trying to keep covered, Elrya Alya and Yin went back to the now closed off section of Kyoto where the incident at the restaurant had happened. It was currently their only clue to where Vladimir was and thus was the first place they started looking. Not much could be found, other than clear tell-tale signs that Vladimir was being his usual sadistic self with these murders. Elrya's heart pained for a moment as she wondered what sort of horrors that Miriana was facing and vowed to save her no matter what. Keeping her hat low over her head, Yin too wore a thick black one as well as people would most likely recognize him now after his little stunt yesterday. Truthfully even with their hats they'd probably be noticed but there was no more time to dawdle on these things anymore. One night of rest…and a little passion…was the best they could have. Now, they had to desperately get back to saving young Miriana.<p>

"Let's get a quick bite to eat dear." Yin said. "I don't think we're going to find much just standing around here." Agree with him, the two popped into a small coffee shop as heading to a rather larger place might make it easier for someone to spot them. "Anything with the paper?" She asked glancing at the small stack as Yin reached over and picked it up. He scurried through it, not seeing anything on Vladimir but did something that caught his interest.

"I didn't find anything on Vladimir, but here's something interesting. "Mass sighting of Diclonius seen in Osaka, Japan. City put on red alert and people in fear, no accounts of hostility yet. This was the place where Roy and Bando had been at remember? It looks like they managed to set them free."

Alya, stepping forward into the mind nodded her head once. "Well at least those two are doing something. Oh?" Pausing she looked up at the waiter, merely shrugging her shoulders and looking at Yin for him to order something for her. Yin, probably thinking she wasn't one to enjoy coffee ordered her a small cup of hot chocolate before turning back to the paper and gasping silently. "Two nude men steal clothes and guns from local store…"

"What's the problem with…?" Alya began before looking at the picture and bursting out with chaotic laughter that made most of the people turn to her direction. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Is that…oh God that's priceless! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Please keep that Yin, I'm never going to let them live this down! What a bunch of…"

*Click*

She stopped, feeling the barrel of something pressing against her head.

"Keep talking brat…"

"Bando!" Yin yelled, looking over his seat to see burly man and his partner sitting at one of the seats before they got up and sat down with the other two. "These meetings are starting to become tenacious." Roy said sarcastically, biting the tip of his mug and lifting it up to drink. For a man with no arms he certainly managed to get around quite easily.

"I thought you two were in Osaka?" Alya asked as their drinks came and their voices dropped as not to be overheard.

"We were…" Roy answered, eyeing his own surroundings. "We ran into some major trouble with Garder at the facility, a few of the Diclonius were killed off but most of them managed to escape. We were taken to the Kyoto facility but it wasn't that hard to get out. Garder gave us the passcode to get out."

The black haired man tilted his head to the side before speaking. "Wait a minute, are you telling me Garder actually helped you to escape? That doesn't make much sense."

"Yes, what's that bastard's problem, is he working for or against Kakuzawa?" Alya growled menacingly.

"I think it's pretty obvious what the case for that is." Roy replied before taking another long sip. "Garder doesn't want Kakuzawa's plan to come to action, like us he's also attempting to stop him although I'm not sure how. However unlike us, he's not trying to save the Diclonius."

"..Just the humans…" Yin concluded as Roy nodded.

"Aye mate, it also means we're going to have to make a change of plans. The idea was to have the Diclonius from Osaka join us to overtake each facility, ultimately saving the Diclonius in Kakuzawa's facility using sheer numbers."

"Why not?" Alya questioned quickly.

Roy narrowed his eyes before tilting his head to the side. "Do you see a horde of Diclonius near me ready to overtake an entire facility? The major problem right now lies with Garder, as long as he's going against us, helping the other Diclonius isn't going to happen. Not unless we want them all to die before we can even rescue them."

"So…" Yin replied, taking a small sip of his coffee and thinking deeply. "You're saying that Garder's posing the greatest threat to saving the other Diclonius?" Roy nodded at the question, rearing his head back before giving a rather unpleasant snarl in the back of his throat. "Our weapons were taken away which included all of Bando's specialize weapons such as his Tungsten bullets and grenades as well as my specialized bullets. We managed to secure some others at the store and…"

"Tst…"

Stopping, Roy gave a long look at Alya who snickered with her hand over her mouth. "What's so funny, Diclonius?"

"Oh nothing…" Alya said smiling, her eyes travelling to the paper. "I mean…it's just that…" Before she could even finish, she burst out into laughter and had to cover her mouth quickly before she became too loud. "Oh my I can't believe you two were naked, and they've got you on the paper and…oh it's so much funnier when it's not me."

"You're point?" Bando growled, forcing Alya to raise an eyebrow.

"As if I give a two flying shit about being naked, it's not like my balls have gotten any smaller while doing it. You want to talk weak, let's talk about you unable to take 270 joules to the face without crying like a little school girl."

Alya's character soured immensely before crossing her arms and putting her head against Yin's shoulder almost as if expecting him to make some random and vicious retort back for her case. However though Bando could go the entire day just mocking her and her inability to take flying cannonballs to the face without crying, more important objections had to be made. "I would have thought you two would have found the girl right now."

"That's just the thing, we have no idea where Miriana or Vladimir are? We came to Kyoto because Vladimir had…caused some commotion at a local restaurant but other than that, we don't have a clue of where they might be. It's getting kind of frustrating right now." Yin answered as he leaned his head back, and sighing deeply. Much like his unofficial wife, he too cared deeply for Miriana and pain she must've been suffering was enough to make his skin crawl, even more if he actually knew what she was going through right now.

There was little talk between the four, merely drinking their beverages as a small television sounded in the upper corner of the room, talking about boring uninteresting stuff like the news and weather. At one point, Roy groaned loudly, shaking his head and grinding his teeth as if he was either largely pained by something or just plainly irked about it. "Something up Roy?" Yin asked urgently. The Sniper didn't answer at first, merely clicking his tongue and then swallowing. "You'll remember that we had to attain some new weapons, I'm using different kinds of bullets right now and my wires aren't used to them yet. It's giving me a massive headache right now."

"Oh…here I have something for that, though I'm not sure how well it'll do for wires in your head." Reaching into his bag, Yin pulled out a small tablet of headache medicine, throwing it to Roy who casually caught it in his mouth and drained it down with another drink of coffee. "Thanks mate, feeling better already." Putting his medicine back, Roy felt the cold metallic sheen of his gun before carefully and keeping it well hidden as well, pulled it out and gave it to Bando.

"You're an expert on these kinds of things. What kind of gun is this?"

The soldier glared down at it with his yellowed vision before a rather wide smirk came across his face. "I don't know how you came across this my friend, but here, let's trade." It wasn't so much as a trade more or less a forced bargain in which Bando took Yin's gun and gave him the pistol he had stolen from the officer at the store. "Specialized Anti-Diclonius 50 Caliber Tungsten bullets…" He uttered. "They may not be explosive bullets but it's definitely an improvement."

"Well wait…you're giving Yin the weaker gun?" Alya cried out, her death glare doing little more, as she well knew it would, than annoying the soldier. "Stop whining about it, I know how to use these things anyways a lot better than Yin."

"its fine Alya, he's right about that." Yin said, both agreeing with Bando and just wanting to move the conversation along.

"What's that sound?" Alya asked, her eyes following the television. There were words on the screen, not that it helped her much but what caught her attention was the fact that the language being spoken wasn't Japanese. "It's Chinese…" Roy said after listening closely.

Interested, Yin spoke out. "I didn't know you spoke Chinese Roy."

"I don't, I'm not exactly fluent in it but I do know enough to get by. Before I became an assassin, I had to do a lot of traveling for my father in my younger days and these included going to places in both Asian and Europe." Speaking, Roy glanced up at the screen, trying to decipher what was being said. "I can't translate it too much, although if you want you can just read the subtitles yourself. It seems like something happened at a Chinese port, some cruise ship crashed into it. There's not only casualties from that but it seems like an entire bloodbath happened on the ship as well.

Bloodbath. That was just the word Alya had been expecting. An entire senseless murder on a ship and then crashing it into a port, who else would do that? She got up, body tense and her red eyes narrowing strictly. "I think we now know where Vladimir is." She said sternly, pulling Yin up roughly by his arm while he staged from the pull. "You think he's in China?" He asked.

"She's right…" Roy said, narrowing his eyes as well as he looked up at the screen. Yin, following it as well gasped as he read the subtitles softly so that Alya could understand. "Reports indicated that a strange man with rods…sticking out of his body overtook and killed most if not all the passengers on the ship. The man…seen with a young girl…was unable to be found anywhere on the ship."

"That bastard…" Alya hissed, her radiant red eyes shaking uncontrollably.

"Looks like you're in for quite a ride." Roy said starkly, downing the last bit of coffee before he got up from his seat with Bando. "Unless we somehow pop up across the sea, this should truly be the last time we see each other for a while. There's not much I can really say at this point, your best bet to get where you need is by plane. I'm not sure what we're going to do about the other facilities, but we'll think of something. You should probably get going, things just got even bigger than we imagined."

* * *

><p>He wasn't going to be annoyed or angry or upset. He was going to take it like a man, calm and collect and see the issue like a responsible person. Yet Kakuzawa couldn't help but feel the ever growing sense of anger deep within his mind. Firstly he had lost Nirlinya, a loyal and trustworthy servant. More importantly, he had lost all the Diclonius in the Osaka facility, all thanks to the wretched help of a bunch of humans. But he wasn't going to lose it yet, no he was far beyond such petty things as losing his mind. But though rage slowly filled him, something happened that made his day so much better. It came from a mental report by Anna as her she looked into the future and saw something that might have tweaked his interest.<p>

One of the local facilities had been working on a specialized device that enlarged the Diclonius organs to create larger and more powerful vectors. The very moment he heard it, his mind went into overdrive. He immediately had them sent over to his laboratory, checking them out with the other scientists and studying each part very carefully. He was a Diclonius, pure blood and powerful and yet, he always lacked that one defining trait that such beauties like Lucy had. He did not have vectors, something he always attributed by the foolish limiting of his bloodline by mating with those dirt Homo Sapiens. But now, oh now his glory would soon rise to the stop as tests were made, leaning onto a new foundation of amazing proportions. Luckily for him, the facility had been working on this project for quite some time so there was little to be done with prototypes but for him, for the god of all Diclonius, he had to test things out.

The wicked smile grew larger…

And larger…

* * *

><p>Julius was resting his head gently against the wall, relaxed and uncaring about things in the world. Victoria, much to his own irritation decided to rest her head against his shoulder as if they were some sort of couple. He didn't hate the woman, in fact it was kind of nice when she talked to him, it made the day go by faster and made it a little less boring. But he hated the fact that she kept treating him like they were supposed to be together, like they were some sort of mates. He had recently gotten the report from Garder about the issue at the Osaka facility, his mind wondering where all the Diclonius were at the moment.<p>

His entire purpose in life was to work for Garder. He did it under his own free will but for him, that was the greatest purpose to his life, because for him, Garder gave him that purpose. Before he met Garder, he was like all the rest, rash and chaotic. He was just like every other Diclonius, hateful of humanity. But Garder came and he didn't show him the error of his ways, it was nothing like that. It was merely a statement to him, a very deep and easy to understand statement.

"…_You yourself believe to be hated and thus are hated. You expect to be hated and thus are hated. You want to be hated and thus you will be hated. It is up to you to decide what you want to be, Number Zero…"_

Therefore, even though Garder is keeping his own species imprisoned, even though he's trying to kill Elrya Alya, he helps him, because he respects him. The same thing surprisingly also goes for Vladimir Cents as well. The man is a killer, brutal slaughterer who obviously cares for nobody, hardly even himself. But he is a man who keeps to his desires, always going forward and never turning back. Whenever something happens, whenever it seems like his plans might be foiled or things do not go the way he wants, he does not lose it. For Julius, such demeanor in almost fascinating to him. It isn't about murder but the pure devotion of desires that keeps the male Diclonius interested.

Humanity…really is quite interesting.

* * *

><p><strong>Specialized Notes<strong>

This is a quick section at the end of this chapter to help explain and interest you in a few facts.

1.) It's become obvious that I have a terrible sense of time and distance. Vladimir and Miriana somehow managed to travel all the way from Kamakura, up to Kyoto, get on a ship, travel all the way up to China and then get to Hungary all in the matter of about two days. I'm working on a major story here with several subplots to it. Forgive me for the inconsistencies.

2.) Those who have read my EL stories will know this, but for those who haven't, I put GREAT deal of emphasis on human characters. There's none of this bull about humans being useless and it stems from the fact that Bando is my favorite character in the manga.

3.) Which brings us to the next part. I almost always use the manga as the backbone to my EL stories. The only story that didn't' follow this format was "Walkways of Redemption" and I widely consider it to be the worst out of all the EL stories that I have written.

4.) Although I do follow the manga, I do make changes here and there. For example, even though the Diclonius in the manga are shown to have different variations of hair color, I always keep it with the same pink-to-reddish formation. Likewise depending on the story such as Lifeline here, I do not follow the Sipilet aging point. It both helps to avoid inconsistencies and it's just easier.

5.) I am a big Trigun fan, and some characters and even plot points are quite similar to it.

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Another chapter finally finished and it's a long one. Our heroes managed to get together and discuss a few things before finally finding out where Vladimir is. Elrya Alya's journey is going to take her not only across the seas, but all the way into Europe itself. Probably take her about a day to get there, lol. Meanwhile, things are starting to look dark as Kakuzawa has found himself a new toy to play with. Each side has their own goals in mind so what will happen next, on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p> 


	53. Those Inconceivable Realizations

**Chapter 52: Those Inconceivable Realizations**

Miriana trudged along with Vladimir at her side, two opposites heading across the barren wasteland as the dust kicked their feet. Moving her sunken eyes across the field, she could see the remnants of swords, spears, lances and shields with arrows lying in every single point of imagination. There was also the unmistakable sight of splotched blood running across the field but thankfully it was only a sight as the had eroded it's smell and most of its position. However judging from what she had seen, all of this had been here for years which meant that specific splotch of blood must have been quite gory in its pastime.

"This is my world…" Vladimir spoke out not as if he was talking to Miriana but as if he was talking to a group. "...This is what I have, look upon it with your eyes…" Whether she wanted to or not, Miriana found her gaze looking around the wasteland again, swallowing pathetically at that which made her cringe. Unable to keep looking at dirt, she once against found herself starring at the massive and broken down citadel rising into the sky, small pieces falling off and landing with clunks back on the ground. For half a second she thought the entire thing would just collapse.

"…Every drop of dirt…every drop of blood…all of it is my world. Look upon the dark skies, my world floating above. Every blade, every black pitched arrow, all of it is my world. All of it…is my desires. Every drop of it is of desires to create the ultimate suffering but look at it now. It is in ruin, just a blistering reminder of a long lost memory. "

Coming forth to the black walls, Vladimir stepped forward leaving Miriana behind him while she hugged herself tightly. Even if he had no way of stopping her, her body and mind were too fragile to ever think of running away. Raising his hand as if to push the gate open, he stopped glancing over at the small girl and smiling almost tenderly at her. "Ye not be afraid young angel, if you were going to die now there would be no point in bringing you this far. Come now child, come forth with me." She didn't want to, she wanted to desperately run and scream and head back to her friends but her legs moved forward before she shuddered as Vladimir's massive arm wrapped around her. Without her volition, he brought her inside into the broken desires of his citadel.

Her first impression of it was something that might have, in its better days, looked quite nice, even for someone like him. The room they walked into was grand, the ceiling rising 50 meters into the air with amazing yet highly dirty decorations from above. Where at the outside was blank, dark and depressing, the inside was amazingly colorful, although that's what it might have been in the past. Right now it was dusty and gray with a few off colors here and there but she imagined something highly of silver in its younger days. What caught her attention the most was the amazing stair case that rose up to the center of the room, leading to a large patch where an ornate chair sat. She could see many doorways leading to places that she could only imagine would go to.

"What is this place? Why did you bring me here?" Her cracked as she talked.

"It is my world as I said; this is my world, my only world, my desires and broken blistering memory." The man said, rising up the broken steps, some of which fell as his feet left them. Then he sat down on the chair, crossing his leg and leaning back so that his onyx coat ruffled slightly. "The kitchen is to your right, down the hall and through the second door, feel free eat and drink whatever you like. Try to keep a little of champagne for me, although you are a minor anyways. Hahahaha…ah who am I kidding, drink whatever you like my dear little Miriana. There are several rooms around here to sleep in, I suggest the third floor, room number 5 on your left, you might have to dust it down a bit but I think it'll be to your liking. Feel free to look around, the entire Citadel is yours for the adventure."

"What are you going to do?" She asked hesitantly.

Chuckling to himself, Vladimir relaxed back into his chair and gazing up through a dusty ornate window high above the gate wall. "It's been a long journey Miriana, I feel like resting a bit. Think of this as your free time, enjoy yourself and take a look around. Be careful though, the place is kind of falling apart and it would be tragic if something happened to you." He said sarcastically ruffling her hair of which before she would've tried to have broken free but being so broken she merely took it as it was. Besides she had finally come to the conclusion that she he might break and beat her, he would ultimately let her live. But if this kept up, she would definitely rather die.

"…How long are you going to keep me here?"

"For as long as it takes for the dreamer to arrive. You hold a very special place in Elrya Alya's heart, something that has allowed her own instincts to calm down. She'll come; I trust that, so for now please rest and make yourself at home."

His answer wasn't nearly enough for her though. "You want to hurt her though…you want to kill her."

"Aye…this is our final match, the last round of desires against dreams. Let us see how far her silly little dreams will take her."

"She'll win…"

Vladimir stopped, letting out one short chuckle before turning his head at angle to look at the young girl whom, though her eyes still remain sunken, suddenly faced him with great sternness. He seemed even more amused than before and as with him it wasn't in the case that he didn't believe her. He was just plainly amused at the statement, like a good story that he first heard. "How quaint…you know Miriana, your friend is even more interesting than you know. In fact, did you know that Elrya Alya is a killer…?"

Pausing, the young girl shook her head frantically. "I won't believe such lies. Elrya and Alya are both really good people."

"How quaint…to believe such nonsense is what I like about you Miriana. You represent the perfect implication of angelic goodness. Yet, what do you think the little Diclonius will do when we finally meet. I don't plan on letting this fight go beyond the boundaries of this wasteland after all. However for the sake of this conversation let's say you're right. Let's say Elrya Alya has never once killed in her life, what will she do now?"

As expected, Miriana was at a loss for words and waited for Vladimir to continue talking. "Do you think I'll just let her pass and take you away? Dreams are nothing but stupid thoughts from those who can't rise to their desires Miriana, you, Elrya, are all but dreamers. Here's a little note for you…" Before she could think or even register what was going as Vladimir pulled out one of his oh so familiar rods and rammed into her left foot. She had enough time to open her mouth but no time to scream before the wicked man firmly clasped her mouth shut with his hand. For the ever so infinitely long time it took for him to stop, she could only mumble incoherently and cry just the same as she had done the whole time before. Just when the pain in her foot was beginning to die now when he finally pulled the accursed object out, he had to go and wrap his other hand around her broken fingers and squeeze.

!

Unable to do so much as scream, he found delicious excitement in squeezing her wounded hand. The pain became so unbearable that she began frothing at the mouth which with no other place to go, traveled right back down her throat. Now unable to scream and choking on her own spit, her small heart which felt it couldn't have known any more evil than before, hit an all-time low when Cents began cackling madly at her predicament. "Ka! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! How quaint! How quaint! Ahhhh…" Sighing deeply after his aforementioned laugh fest, he finally let her go, the young girl flimsy fall back on her behind and pushing herself back against the furthest wall she could find. Her eyes, now filled with tears we're no longer sunken but it hardly made a different now.

"Help me…"

"Oh?" Clearly interested now, Vlad snapped his fingers suddenly, scaring the young girl before whimpered again. "Help me…help me…help me…"

"Help? You want help…angel Miriana? You want help? What a quaint little thing you must say my little angel."

"Help me…PLEASE HELP ME ELRYA! ALYA!"

His twisted smile, which was already so wide it spread from cheek to cheek couldn't have gotten any larger could it? But alas he was smirking so broadly now with his chaotic eyes lighting up that he looked more demented than he had ever possibly looked before. The clear reason for this was just one, he was enjoying watching her in pain. Hurting people physically, while definitely amusing was never as good as hurting them emotionally. Watching them suffer and cry out was the absolute best drug for him, an artificial high just for him.

"AaaaaaaAAAAAAGH!" Starting out as a breath of air, it soon turned into a blood curdling scream. Going as far as to ignore the pain in her foot, she finally made a mad rush for the gate. Her working hand fiddling with the lock, Vladimir didn't make so much as a move to go get her as the gate door opened and raced outside without so much as a thought of what was behind her. She screamed again, a burst of "Help me!" echoing loudly into the sky. Further and further she ran, coughing, spluttering and panting heavily, but not stopping once.

Further!

Further!

She had to get further away!

It was still too close, she was still far too close to it! Screaming again, she couldn't believe what she saw, a group of people, maybe 5 of them on horseback in the far west. They may not understand her language, but her body language and abuse should definitely give them a clue that she needed as she had cried for so long, help. They wore unique though in some strange way, rather plain outfits, neither the same, but of different textures that made her think that all of them we're off different ethnic backgrounds. Yet to think of such things could not be done, she needed help, she needed to get to them! To get this far to safety, to come this far without problems yet, her head finally snapped around to look behind her.

Nothing, Vladimir wasn't following her.

"HELP ME!" At long last, screaming it as loud as she could, exhaustion and the sheer pain in her foot finally brought her down harshly on the blazing earth. Hardly able to move now, hope finally filled her heart when small group trotted urgently over to her, the hooves of their horses stamping loudly at her feet. Speaking in a language she didn't know, she did her best to convey her needs in both her own language and the little body movement she could muster. More unknown words were spoken, most likely that of the language in the country she was in, which would be Hungarian, she nevertheless sighed in the first moment of relief since she could remember when the lightly picked her up and put her on the back of one of the men.

"Thank you…" Miriana whispered, feeling the fresh air of freedom blowing against her face, her head resting against the firm back of the man she was riding with. "Thank you..." Before she knew it, she was already fast asleep.

* * *

><p>She didn't know how long she had been sleeping but when she woke up, she felt refreshed and comfortable. Horrible images flashed across her head but something was different, something she hadn't felt in a long time, comfort. She was sleeping on a bed, one of the most comfortable she had slept on before. The air was nice and there was the unmistakable aroma of freshly lit candles. Safe, it was the only word that traveled through her mind at the moment, just safe. A warm bed, the wonderful smell of candles, she could even see through her closed eye lids the gleam of sunlight which told her that she hadn't slept long enough for night to come along yet.<p>

Finally at long last…she opened her eyes.

!

…And saw dark gray and black.

!

At first the simple idea of thought processes didn't even come to her, only irrational fear. This color, this dreadfully plain and horrible color, how could she forget it so soon? The room was clean, candles burning nicely and a soft bed, but this color, it already made her cringe. Jumping out of the bed, she screeched when she landed on her hurt foot, collapsing onto the ground and holding it tightly. As it finally died down, she got the energy to pick herself up, cringing against when she accidently used her broken hand and finally opened the door, hoping to see something different. It was just as before, a dank gray of old stones, the exact same as she had seen before.

!

"No…No…No…No…" Each word came out as a breathless whisper, Miriana rushed down the hall to the first door she saw, hoping with all of her might that would be wrong! She could hear voices, several voices and though she was at first scared beyond belief, the finally felt safe again. It had just been a mistake, just an ironic mistake that was all. Perhaps this was the kind of thing this country was known for, just using these colors and as the thought came to her, her anxiety had died down a great deal when she opened the door.

"Thank you…" How many times she had said that she didn't know but she couldn't have been happier at that moment. Her eyes gazed longingly at the mass group of people there, all men as she could see, but a group nonetheless. They wore matching outfits of black, making her think of old time butlers that she had seen in movies.

"Hello there Miss Miriana…" one of them finally said, speaking in very accented Japanese but well enough that she could understand him. He was holding a fine laden tray, filled with food that she never saw in Japan but looked awfully tasty as before. "…Feel free to taste some of the finest delicacy that Hungary has to offer." The last time she had eaten, other than a very small meal The Captain had given her had been at the restaurant and with all the times she had lost her stomach to the nausea around her definitely made her hungry even for something she had no knowledge about. But she as she was about to reach for it, something clicked in her mind that made all the happiness in her wither away.

"How do…you know my name?" Miriana asked hesitantly.

She didn't need to have an answer yet, she got the answer the moment she turned her head and looked up at the flight of stairs leading to the figure she dreaded most of all.

"Hello there…Miriana…" Vladimir spoke out in an easy going tone, casually drinking from a fine silver cup. "Were you having a good dream in your room? I tried to make it nice, you've been through so much right now. You shouldn't put too much pressure on that hand and foot of yours, it could cause a lot of problems.

"…No…" Speaking the words out in her soft and beaten voice, Miriana couldn't even scream or try to run away. The only thing she did was collapse on the ground, feeling her body being lifted away and taken back to her room where, for own sake perhaps, she fell back to sleep in defeat. How foolish she was to think there was any hope for her.

* * *

><p>The men in black scurried around the room as if nothing had happened, the one who had spoken to Miriana even walking up to Vladimir and bowing deeply before presenting the plate to him. "Would you like to have one…Master Cents?" He asked professionally, speaking in the native tongue of the country. Vladimir didn't answer, he just took one, ate it with enjoyment on his face as his tongue licked his lips. "A wonderful dish, it has been a long time since I have come home, I have missed these dishes, although I must implore that you make some Japanese cuisines. They have amazing food over there if I do say so myself."<p>

"If I may ask Master Cents, where are the other members?"

"Aye, we are a little off on members aren't we? The Sniper is no longer with us, though he isn't dead, he has merely changed…allegiances. The Tank and The Clocker Stopper have passed on, shame isn't it." None of them said anything, in fact just form his expression they could gather what had happened, yet they seemed neither worried or uncaring about what had happened, merely indifferent.

"Of course The Zero Point is still in Japan, under both my orders and more important the orders of the one he knows best of all…The Perfect Soldier."

One could finally hear a pin drop.

"Garder…Garder F. Morotisan." The man said firmly.

"Aye…the very same." Vladimir replied back simply, cross his arms casually after taking another sip of his drink. "Japan and even the world is going through something major right now. Watching everyone die, watching as humanity including myself is brought to extinction. It sounds like a great amount of suffering is to be had.

But that's not what I came here for…

I met somebody…during my years in Japan. I met a young girl with horns who is a dreamer, much like Miriana but there's something different. You see, they are very alike, and I think this might turn into something quite interesting.

Quite…interesting."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another chapter finished. As if Miriana hadn't gone through enough on the ship, now this happens to her. With pain just emerging from every chapter, what more could come out of this? Stay tuned for the next upcoming chapter of "Pinpoint Lifeline."<p>

R&R


	54. Loyalty To The End

**Chapter 53: Loyalty To The End**

Getting to Hungary wasn't even on their list of things to do right now as both Elrya Alya and Yin had no clue that Miriana was there. Right now, there main objective wasn't even getting to China; the main problem was just getting on a plane. Somehow pulling a gun out in an open terminal and putting against his wife's head and demanding to be taken somewhere probably wasn't going to work as well this time. This was the airport, security wasn't something was relaxed in such location and had time not be on their side Yin would've just waited and gotten passports for the two of them and gotten on one plane the normal way. Normality wasn't something that going for them though, hell things hadn't been normal since he first met Elrya Alya.

While Yin contemplated on what actions to take, Elrya was gawking out the window at the massive jumbo jets stationed outside. She looked like a small kid at an amusement park, her eyes widening to engulf her face and almost glistening too. "Look how big it is Yin…it's so big and white and wow! I've never seen a plane before, well at least not up close, only those little dots in the sky. I never knew how big it was, oh can we go on that one!" Much like a true child pointing to a toy they wanted, the young girl, ignoring all forms of maturity at that moment danced on her heels and pointed at she considered to be the largest and most elaborate of all the jets out there.

"You know, I've never known you to be this childish before." Yin said, laughing at her as she pouted slightly. "Besides Elrya, it's not really a question of picking a plane; we have to use the one that will head to where we need to go, in this case, China."

"Hmph! I want to ride the big plane; if I have to ride some clunky little small thing I'm not going to be happy." Elrya retorted, crossing her arms and turning away as if suddenly Yin had cause the problem.

"I don't even know how we're supposed to get on any of them though. We don't have passports and creating a mess in here won't be good."

"What's the deal then…?" Alya uttered suddenly. "We just find get on the plane right? It's just like riding the train or something…what's a passport anyways?"

Smiling at her cute but oblivious thought, Yin answered back as best as he could. "It's not the same as riding the train, we have to go through an entire thing of getting registered for passports and of course that means a photo identification as well. Even if we went to get the passports that would mean removing your hat and we both know how that would turn out."

Shrugging but understanding what he meant, Alya let Elrya return to the front of the mind. "Then what can we do Yin? Who knows what Miriana is going through right now, we can't waste any more time. Can't get these…stupid little passport things. I know…if we ask them really nicely to let us on the plane, I'm sure they will." Much to Yin's chagrin, Elrya skipped over to the large line, cutting in front of most of the people there which of course made nobody happy and waltzed up to the young male attendant sitting at the booth. He didn't even have to look at her to know something was up as the people around her were creating a large commotion.

"What do you think you're doing young lady? You must stay in line and…"

"Good sir…" Elrya spoke out joyfully, giving off a strange little smile as she clasped her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth. "I nor my husband have any of these…passports…however we really need to get to…oh what was it called…Cheena or something like that? Could you pretty please let us get on the plane?" She smiled sweetly at him, even batting her eyelashes. Yin as he saw it found it adorably cute, the young man at the booth blushed deeply but apparently knew well enough to let a young girl pass by. Yet he had noticed one very peculiar word in her speech.

"I'm sorry but…w-wait…your married? Aren't you kind of young?"

"Hmph…I'm old enough sir…" Elrya growled. "Ignore that anyways, can't you please let us on the plane…please?"

"Sorry…do you have your passport?"

"No…we don't…but we really need to get on the plane It's really important…"

"Sorry…"

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"I said no…" The attendant yelled, getting fed up with this conversation.

"I'll let you touch one of my breasts…"

!

It was hard to tell whose expression was more surprised, the attendant's or Yin's, the latter who spluttered on his own saliva and began going into a choking fit. Apparently the young girl wasn't joking because she suddenly started lifting her shirt up. Before she could lift it all the way, she found herself forcibly pulled back by Yin who apologized relentlessly to the angry crow before bringing her back. "I-I can't believe you even did that Elrya? What we-were you thinking!" Yin stammered, almost feeling sorry for the sad look his girl gave him. She kept her head low and even started sniffing every once in a while. "I'm sorry Yin, I didn't mean to make such a mess. Would you like to touch one of my breasts?"

"Well that would…huh?"

"Sorry…" She quickly stammered. "I'm…kind of off right now. You don't know of any possible way we can get on the plane quicker right?" Yin shook his head, understanding the position they were in. To his surprise, Elrya's eyes flashed dangerously, noticing the incoming of Alya's personality she firmly grabbed him by the wrist and brought him back. "E-Elry…sorry…A-Alya…wait…what are you doing?" He spluttered, the young girl almost dragging him back to the front of the room. Once again there was another cry of outrage from the people there, demanding that they stay in line and wait like everybody else. However they all went very quiet when the ground shattered around Alya's feet and with one look they almost all went dead inside.

"My friend…" She whispered dangerously. "…Is currently in the hands of a messed up bastard with a suffer complex. I've been trying to things normally right now but I don't have time for this anymore." She came up to the young man at the booth, his face red and sweaty from what he had just seen before Alya stepped up, grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt with her own physical hands and brought his face close to hers. With her eyes merely dots on her face, it was no wonder that he began shivering uncontrollably. "I need a plane to a certain place, I don't want any crap either. Now tell me, what plane do I have to get on to get to Cheena?"

"China?"

"Whatever…"

"You aren't going…to kill me are you?"

"That depends…" Alya growled viciously. "Are you going to tell me what I want?"

"It's…it's this one." He said hesitantly giving the number and terminal to her. Alya's expression changed rapidly, her eyes became bright and she called Yin over. "We're all good Yin, the kind young man has given me what we needed. I told you we didn't need these stupid little passport things. You're such a silly person Yin, that's why I love you."

He couldn't believe it, but he followed her, giving apologetic looks to everyone Alya was just about to leave when a certain thought came to her. "Oh one thing sir, it would be really good if nobody knew about this. I get on a plane and you get to live, does that sound good?" Though her words were meant to keep her and Yin safe, she didn't need to worry, the young man had no intentions of saying anything. "O-Of course…I won't."

"Very good!" She said, pinching his cheek and racing back after Yin. They went up the escalator, something she was also rather new to and started having too much fun on it as well. "You know Alya, you can be quite scary sometimes."

"I have my ways, it happens when you're a Diclonius. I hope I didn't make you feel too bad though, here you're my husband and I'll let you touch my breasts."

"What?"

"Sorry…I'm still a bit off right now."

* * *

><p>Something was definitely odd in the air, Julius and the other Diclonius could sense it just before the doors opened and who else but the Head Director himself walked in proudly and arrogantly. While Kakuzawa would sometimes come in with a broad grin, this was the first time Julius had ever seen it this big. Something had happened and needless to say for him and the others it probably wasn't something good. As he expected, Kakuzawa stopped right at his location, raising an eyebrow at Victoria whom with her head resting against his shoulder, glowered at him.<p>

"This is unexpected…did you find yourself a mate my good friend?"

"No." Julius said sternly. "She is merely a person that I can talk to here. Is there anything that I can do for you, Kakuzawa-sama?"

"You haven't been out much Julius, and you have been quite loyal to me as well. I would like to show you something."

Rising up, he felt a sudden pull from Victor as he casually pushed her off before walking out the open doors with Kakuzawa. Victoria herself seemed worried when the men around the Director aimed their guns at him as security and it was clear that it was taking quite a bit of effort not to even spit on the old man as well. "I have something quite amazing to show just to you. In fact, we recently ran into a predicament where I've lost a trusted advisor. I was hoping you could take her place Julius." Typical statement from the Head Director, his eyes gleaming malevolently at his own attained godhood. The male Diclonius brushed his hair pink hair out of his eyes, slowly feeling the metallic point at the middle of his forehead, both the silver coin and the object that retained his powers. Something however was much different than he had expected, something big was about to happen and the young man knew it the deeper they went down into the cold recesses of the facility.

It might have been how deep they were underground, but the pressure in the room has suddenly risen, making it a little harder to breathe than normal but that was certainly the least of Julius' concerns. Upon entering the vast cavern, there were two things he took great interest in. The first and probably the most notable was the mass of what could only be described as flesh floating in the murky water before him. Brown skin, and veins popping out its head, this was the first time he had ever seen her though he knew exactly who she was.

Anna. The biologically created supercomputer as well as Kakuzawa's own daughter.

The second important object that he noticed was a machine with a rather disfigured looking appearance. It was a box with many clamps on it and a wide tube that circled around it. This object was certainly the thing that Kakuzawa had been so pleased about and just looking at it made the male Diclonius scowl deeply. He had many ideas of what the machine was, and his hypotheses would soon be tested and proven when Kakuzawa walked forth, clamping the machine against his elderly chest. For now he just looked awkward as he placed the tube deep inside his mouth, almost retching at one point but then, even to Julius' own surprise, it happened.

Wind…just a brief bit of wind that might have just come from something natural. But inside a cavern, deep down underground, wind did not exist. So where else did the wind come from? It could only have come from one person. There was no doubt how ecstatic Kakuzawa was when he felt the burst of energy flowing around him, for years he had known that he had been a Diclonius but for the first time, he could actually attain and control their almighty power. The ground cracked around his feet, sending shivers of worries down some of the staff member's spine. Invisible to all but Julius' sights and Anna's mind, those poor souls who had to be here, would never see the light of day again.

*SLASH!*

Decapitation.

*SLICE*

Bisection

*SLISH!*

Vivisection.

Julius only watched with cold unconcerned feelings as three men left the world in a heaping pile of body parts and blood, lying in a puddle of their own fresh gore. "Ka! Ka! Ka! Ka!" Sickening laughter, hardly even qualified as laughter, it was better to just call it a bad cough, but he was so exquisitely happy.

He had vectors.

But to call them vectors would have been a mistake as well for though several long arms did slither around his body like snakes there was something quite odd about it, it was something Julius noticed well before the hands even emerged. Vectors from Diclonius are created by a combination of elements that are produced in a Diclonius body and react in the outside world. The stronger these effects, the strongest the vectors. However all vectors are in the form of hands, they emerge from the backs of Diclonius as the area is the primary energy source for the vectors themselves.

Specialized waves travel from the pineal gland to the central nervous systems, creating specific chemical reactions that react to the outside air. Sometimes several arms can come out of one location but something was very different with Kakuzawa.

A dome, a corporeal and solid dome surrounded the old director, it's bottom edges licking the ground mercilessly with its powers. For Julius, he knew what the problem was right away. Vectors are certainly problematic and for those untrained against them, they may well be the most dangerous thing on the planet. But for Julius, Garder and anybody who fought against vectors, there was a specific weakness that they all had.

Openings.

No matter how many hands are there, there is always if only miniscule, an opening for an attack. Likewise Diclonius must see the attack to block it, yet for Kakuzawa, an entire dome of energy keeps him safe in all directions. In short, it was the perfect defense, no vectors could get through, no bullet could pierce through. It would be the equivalent of trying to hit a steel wall, absolutely useless. At long last Kakuzawa had attained what he always dreamed of having, true living vectors! The only thing that would possibly grow more than his wicked smirk was his already inflated ego.

"DO YOU SEE! DO YOU SEE MY POWER! I AM A GOD!" Roaring to the dark heaven's, the director spread his arms out like some sort of perverse angel. "I AM A GOD! I AM A GOD! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Needless to say the laughter was getting on Julius' nerves but what was he going to do about it? As far as threats went, Kakuzawa still wasn't dangerous to him, but at the same time, what could he do against him? However there was a reason that he had come to this facility, to attain knowledge and return it back to Garder.

"Amazing Kakuzawa-sama, truly are our lord. It was obvious from the start but now, who else could deny your omnipotence?"

"Yes Julius! Yes, I wanted you to be the first to see it, you obedient man! I am a god! I am a god! Yes! Yes! Yes!

He may have power, he may have defense, he may think he is unstoppable, but that isn't the case. Kakuzawa has fallen under the same curse as all tyrants, arrogance, and Julius made sure to relay all he knew back to Garder when he returned back to his cell.

* * *

><p>"Roy!" Almost caught off guard, Roy instantly recognized the voice of the young Diclonius Ilya. Feeling that heading back to Osaka was their best bet, Roy found it quite surprising how peaceful the place looked, especially with all the Diclonius here. "Nice to see your alive girl, what about Nirlinya?"<p>

"I think she's doing alright, I got her to a real hospital as soon as I can and the last time I checked she was fine, but still asleep for a very long time." She of course meant that she was comatose which didn't exactly surprise Roy, she did take a bullet to the head after all. At the very least she was fine and for now that was most important to Roy, as of now he had some more important things to discuss, such as how people were being so calm when there were so many Diclonius around them. Even more surprising was the small grin that spread over the young Sipliet's face before she waltzed over to one of the many people and brought her over.

"Would you believe it Roy…these people…have befriended us?"

So he listened, to the story of how the Diclonius managed to tell their story to the people of Osaka and while it took some time, they soon befriended them. It wasn't to say that there wasn't some concern, while they walked amongst each other, they also kept their distance. It would akin to having a mutual respect for each other's space.

"You must be Roy…" The elderly woman spoke out. "The young girls have talked a lot about you, in fact I think they've been waiting for your arrival. I was scared when they first came but, they're actually really nice. Most of us keep our distance but I've talked to a few, I can't believe some of the stuff they've gone through."

"So you guys know now?" Roy asked rhetorically, Ilya nodding her head once. "There isn't much we can do right now I'm afraid." The woman continued, rubbing the girl's pink hair as if she were her own granddaughter. "But we refuse to let these poor things suffer any more and we'll all that we can however to protect them."

"That's nice, it seems you all have finally found a place where you belong."

"Yes Roy, what about you though, weren't you and…the other guy…" She stopped, looking closely at Bando's dark features before shrugging her shoulders. "…Heading to the other facilities to rescue the Diclonius?"

"Too much trouble, Garder alone killed off 20 Diclonius alone when he arrived, it would be too hazardous if he came back again and it was only through luck that we even lived too."

Listening closely, Ilya replied. "So that man who attacked us before is a major problem right? If he wasn't around, then things would be easier?"

"Aye, it's really bothersome. As I said the idea was, after rescuing you guys, to overtake the other facilities with sheer numbers, slowly building up the Diclonius so that we could finally rescue the ones at the last facility. Yet if Garder comes, especially if he comes with even more men and Kakuzawa, it'll be too dangerous for any of us. I'm not trying to put you all down but when if that happens we'd lose far more than we would gain."

Surprisingly, Ilya only smiled and with one quick whistle she called over 5 other young pink haired girls. "It would seem you're having some real issues. Roy, we're all here. You helped us out and we're going to help you out. If Garder is such a problem then the best thing to do is to keep him away long enough for you guys to rescue the other Diclonius. So what we'll do is, we'll stall Garder for you to do that!"

Roy tried to find some lie within her smile but by god was she being dead serious.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but that's stupid. You guys have absolutely no chance against Garder whatsoever."

"Heh…you shouldn't look down on us Diclonius Roy, maybe we can't beat him head on, but a different kind of fight would be better. It's not even about actually fighting Garder, it's merely about keeping him at bay long enough for you to rescue the other Diclonius. If you tell us where Garder is, we'll keep low enough so that we don't start anything and when he makes any moves we'll keep him away for as long as we can. Just use that time to save everyone else."

"Tsk…that sounds horrible, but it's probably the best idea we have right now. Bando, give her your phone."

Catching the thrown cell phone by Bando, Ilya looked closely at it. "It's a cellphone, once we rescue the other Diclonius we'll give you a call."

"Sounds good."

"Garder's facility is located in Tokyo, ask somebody around here to take you there. Just remember don't start anything, in fact, do your best to stay in the shadows as well. Also, try not to get yourself killed." Roy finished. Ilya on laughed heartedly, brushing a strand of her pink hair out of her face. "I don't plan on dying, but I'll do as you say Roy. We're counting on you as well, I'll never forgive you if you fail."

"The same to you." Roy answered back.

Watching as the six girls left with a small group of people, Roy realized just how far Diclonius and humans had come together. Turning around, he finally faced the group he had saved before in the Osaka facility, standing, ready to help him out, ready to give their lives on the line. "Let's do this…Diclonius, your sisters need your help, let's show them that there is world worth living out here, one for both humans and Diclonius."

Time to go, time to save more lives, to create the world of desires and dreams.

Bando himself was given some rather curious looks, most of which just annoyed the crap out of him. "You're the one that Roy was talking about right?"

"Sure…what about it?" The soldier grumbled, glaring at the horned girl through his black sunglasses.

"…Then…YOU MUST BE MR. MCTUFFLES!"

*BAM!*

Before the girl could even blink, Bando slammed his fist straight across her face, sending her down. "The fuck did you call me brat!" he roared angrily, a visible vein on his forehead. The young girl, crawling back with a clear look of horrible confusion on her face rapidly turned her head back to Roy whom merely gave a nonchalant wave of his hand as if saying "Eh, what did you expect?"

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Chapter complete and I've hoped you enjoyed it. Elrya Alya and Yin are heading to stop Vladimir, even if it means point blank going through a terminal, scaring the crap out of everyone and getting on the plane themselves. Meanwhile Roy, Bando and the other Diclonius prepare to to head to the next facility as Ilya and a small group do their best to keep Garder occupied so that the rescue mission can be a success. But not is all well, through insane technology, Director Kakuzawa has finally attained vectors and needless to say, it's even more dangerous than usual.<p>

What will happen next time on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"

R&R


	55. The Zero Point

**Chapter 54: The Zero Point**

"What did Kakuzawa want Julius?" Victoria asked when the young man was returned back to the cells. He didn't answer at first; instead much to her surprise he actually went to one of the corners, talking silently to himself. In most parts she wouldn't have been surprised, it wasn't exactly new for Diclonius to hear voices inside their heads and have complete conversations with themselves, even she had done it before. But she had always imagined Julius to be a little different, which meant that he must be talking to someone legitimate. She had no idea what was being said, the Diclonius spoke too softly and most of his words were just single phrases anyways so even if he was talking aloud, unless a person heard both parts of the conversation, it would be impossible to tell exactly what the conversation was about.

After about 10 minutes, Julius finally rose up, walking back to the front of the cell gate before, again to his annoyance really, Victoria placed her arms around his neck. "Is something wrong Julius, I saw you talking over there, were you hearing voices in your head as well?"

"No." He replied plainly back at her, gently pushing her hands off of him and walking over to the front of the cell, his hands traveling across the bars. "Anti-vector bars…" He said, obviously to himself but Victoria answered back nonetheless. "Yes, there's no way for us to get out by ourselves."

"Inconceivable. Those are the words of fools who cannot think for themselves." His words were spoken clearly, not harshly but just as plainly as before, but the strength in them was there as well. Most the Diclonius suddenly became quite interested in what he was doing, in only for the fact that it would be enjoyable to watch him screw up. They had seen countless others try to get through the bars, and it was always a little amusing to watch novices bounce off and slam against the opposite steel wall behind them in their failed attempts. Victoria herself was also perplexed because she knew Julius to be smarter than that and yet she couldn't see any way to get out herself.

With each stride he placed his hand upon the bar, running it up from the top to the bottom. For each one he did the same thing, ending at the last one before turning to Victoria. "I want you to use your vectors on one of these bars." Certainly surprised by that statement, Victoria was obviously hesitant in doing so. "It won't work Julius, vectors don't work on them."

"I understand, I am merely looking at something."

One of her hands emerged from her back, ever so slowly coming out and with but a small touch, tapped the sixth bar from the left. Instantly her hand flew back in a small shower of sparks. A small fit of laughter came from the other Diclonius, wondering why he was so stupid to even be doing such stuff right now. "Get it now you idiot, there's no way for you or us to ever get out. Just accept the fact, its hopeless!"

Julius, narrowing his eyes once again brought his own physical hand up, gripping the bar tightly. "Physically touching it…does not induce the anti-vector barrier. However when the actual vectors are used, it does. Victoria, I want you to do the same thing again as before. Touch the bar with your vectors." This time though, he kept his hand firmly pressed against the bar as Victoria did as she was told. Once again, her hand flew back but for him, nothing happened to his hand. He could sense a rush of energy traveling from the very top of his hand and up and at the bottom but never directly upon his hand. Content with what he had seen, Julius finally stepped back and placed his hand upon his forehead, gripping the small silver coin.

"Julius…I'm not sure what you're trying to do but vectors don't work! It doesn't matter how many you have or how strong they are, they won't work." Victoria cried out.

"You should listen to her, idiot." One sneered, crossing her arms. "Although I am a little curious, I've never seen your hands before, how long are they? How many do you have? It doesn't really matter though because it'll never work."

"I have zero hands." Julius said, momentarily catching everyone off guard."

The one who spoken before stuttered for a moment before finally catching herself. "That's the stupidest thing I've heard, you're a Diclonius I can sense you, of course you have hands."

"I have zero length…" He continued as if he hadn't heard her.

"Z-Zero length! You mean you have no hands at all? That's the stupidest thing I ever heard in my life!"

There was no answer to the statement, Julius only took his silver coin deeply etched into his forehead and squeezed until it finally came out. Victoria for a moment expected at least a small whirlwind to happen, but the only thing she saw was the small line of red that came down Julius' face, of which he casually wiped away. He put the silver coin into his mouth, rolling it under his tongue for safe keeping as he raised his hand nonchalantly. "Victoria, the same thing as before, touch the bar just above my hand."

"A-Alright…" She said, her arm snaked out, head just above his raised hand as he held the bar just above his head. Like a snake striking its prey, her hand jabbed at the bar. As before her own hand flew back in a shower of spark, but for Julius, the bar he was holding was instantly snapped in two. Holding the piece in his hand, he paid no attention to amount of gasps that filled the room. He hadn't even used any vectors, he had just broken it off with his mere hand right? What sort of trickery was going on now?

"Victoria…here, above my hand."

This time going to the very bottom of the bar, they did the same thing before Julius broke it off, this time taking an entire section off and slowly laying it the floor. Everyone was stunned, entirely stunned speechless at what they had seen. Victoria herself too was just as surprised as before, her eyes traveling from Julius to the fallen bar. It was only until Julius called her name that she finally snapped out of her dream-like state of shock.

"Victoria."

"Ah! Huh?"

"Do the same thing with these two bars as well…"

After only a few seconds, a huge gaping hole stood, just large enough for a single person to fight through. Merely ducking his head as not to hit the ceiling, every watched with their mouths agape. "Victoria…" Julius said sternly, watching her move herself out of the bars too and strolling up to him with that same look of admiration on her face for him. The same look that mostly annoyed him at any point. "…I have business to do, in most cases I would keep you from trying to escape. However I have business to attend to and I have no time to deal with one escaped woman. I don't care what you do, but it would be best if you left right now."

"I won't do that. I want to help you…I…I want to be with you."

Of course, she was being as annoying as he could possibly imagined. Sure enough as well the other Diclonius we're starting to throw a fit as well. "Hey! Help us out as well!"

"Help you?" He asked, turning to them. "I have no intention of helping any of you. By all means if a mass escape of Diclonius did occur right now, I would stop and kill you all without hesitation. I am not on your side, I am on another's side. The same thing goes for you Victoria, we are not friends or even acquaintances. The only reason I am allowing you to escape is because you have firstly helped me and secondly there is no point in dealing with just one single Diclonius."

"I'm still coming with you…even if you do say those words. You showed me that there was a better way of lie, a change in the way I thought things. Even if you push me back, I'll still come with you."

Starring at her for quite some time, Julius turned abruptly around, walking away as Victoria quickly hurried up and the others began yelling obscenities at them. "What an annoying girl…" He thought, eyeing her out of the corner of his eyes before giving an audible sigh of displeasure. "Fine then Victoria, do what you wish. Just remember that I am not doing this for you, get in my way and I will deal with you personally as well."

Nodding affirmatively, she followed Julius out the door.

* * *

><p>"J-Julius, what's up with your body? How did you break the bars without using your vectors?" It was question that had been grating on her mind and for one of the first time it was a legitimate one that Julius had no qualm in answering. "I am the Zero Point, Julius Javel the original Diclonius Number 0 in the Tokyo Facility run by Garder F. Morotisan. I have zero vectors, zero length, zero numbers, Zero Point. However, I can radiate the entire vector energy through my entire body. I myself am a vector…" As if to prove the point, he slid his hand into the wall like a ghost, passing it through as if there was nothing there at all. Then with just a single movement he passed right through the wall like a ghost, appearing randomly through the wall up front.<p>

"This is my power as The Zero Point, the ability to incorporate the power of the Diclonius into my own body. The bars act as such, any physical body part can touch the bars without harm, it is only with vectors that it becomes problematic. I noticed as I was looking at it, that source of energy radiated from the moment the vector touches the bar. I needed to force the energy away from a single point, which is where I used your vectors and then using the split second to break the bar away before the effects could reach my own body."

"A-Amazing…what are we supposed to do."

"I…" Julius said, putting much emphasis on the word. "…Am going to kill Kakuzawa Anna."

Sure enough that was how the conversation with Garder had gone. Not without careful analysis could he determine what Director Kakuzawa's weakness was, so instead the next best option was to kill Anna. The biological supercomputer gave Kakuzawa all the details he needed to complete his work, destroy her, and one effectively cripples his plans, forcing him to act on his own whim. Had they known that it would have come this far, Garder probably would have had Julius murder the old man long ago, but that was the past, and this was now.

Coming through the hallway, one brutish looking soldier ran into them from the other corner, stopping in his track before raising his gun. Victoria on the offensive sliced his arms and then head off before he could so much as utter a syllable and let his body fall mundanely to the floor. Paying no attention to him, the male Diclonius picked up gun, the kind that would hold specialized tungsten bullets as well before continuing down the hall to the elevator. "Victoria…I am going to deal with Anna. I have no time to waste, killing her is of top priority. Both her and Director Kakuzawa are hardly a threat to me, but likely I cannot do much against Kakuzawa myself right now. If there is anything I need you to do, is to keep the director away while I kill Anna, dealing with both of them may be problematic."

"O-Of course!"

Raising her head slowly of the water, Anna narrowed her cold eyes when she saw Julius walk through the doors. "How did you get out of your cell? I know that father did not let you out…" There was no need to answer, no point in answering in fact. Julius Javel whipped out the gun and aimed with perfect precision at Anna's head. One second, one to whip it out, aim and then pull the trigger. He gave no warning at all, he just pulled it out and fired. Exploding out of its holster, the bullet flew at break neck speed, smashing pathetically into Anna's left arm.

"How foolish, are you trying to betray my father?"

"Betray? Not once had I ever joined him in the first place." Julius muttered, taking a few steps forward and aiming again, the same thing happened to the first bullet. "Father will be displeased that somebody he thought was a good servant was actually against him. However I will not let you live a moment longer." With those foreboding words, she raised her massive right hand, clenching it into a fist and bringing it down hard upon the male Diclonius. The massive brown arm smashed into the white marble tombstones, shattering it into pieces and gripping her fingers tightly just to make sure he never moved again.

!

*RIP!*

Without warning, she jerked her hand back, the palm and inner fingers torn and mutilated almost beyond recognition. Standing there just as coldly as before, Julius took this moment of weakness to aim at Anna's head, firing off the bullet. Anna didn't have time to block this attack and screams split the cavern. Though large, her voice was high pitched when the bullet slammed into her eyes, large globules of blood splattering into the water and only land. Then she attacked again, her left hand racing out to swat him away and disbelieving at her hand flew right through Julius' body as if it were a ghost.

Julius powers were actually quite similar to the vector machine that Kakuzawa used. However unlike Kakuzawa, Julius can only use his powers in a singular motion. That is to say, is that he must use a specific part of his power at one time. If he wishes to become incorporeal, he cannot use his strength and vice versa. He has the entire powers of vectors within his body but these powers must be used in separate conditions. In truth, Julius' powers are not very good when it comes to combat. He has no range and while he is given extra strength, even that is almost ill compared to even some of the weakest vectors. It is not combat that his powers are best at, it is infiltration. It was one of the bad parts about being unclothed and not having his normal weapons.

The next hand was raised smashing it on top of Julius who used his powers so that it passed right through and then became solid again so that Anna's hand would become mutilated again. He might be hurting her, but he was hardly killing her. "Even at this range…the bullets aren't affecting her because of her mass.

How annoying…"

*BASH!*

"I will not…let you interfere with father's work!" Anna roared.

*BASH!*

Each blow is either dodged or just completely ignored, but even as her hands and arms are being mutilated, she still keeps coming. He has to give her credit for her determination though, which only causes more concern. Victoria herself is speechless, she isn't sure what's more shocking, this abomination in the water, or the fact that Julius is fighting it.

"VICTORIA!" For one of the first times ever, Julius actually roars her name at her, snapping her back out of her trance just fast enough or her to duck her head from the incoming vector. Jumping forward, she spins around, spreading her own hands out as a very livid Kakuzawa comes out, the dome shaped energy floating around him so that that when he walks out, the walks that are touched by the dome break apart and fall into pieces. "What is this foolishness Julius? You are a traitor? I can't even believe what I'm seeing, a traitor, of a male Diclonius, that is just…unforgivable. Eh?" He's quite amused when Victoria stands in his way, her arms floating around her.

"There are…many traitors here eh? Abomination, you should be prostrating yourself before me woman. Now bow!"

"Fuck off…" Victoria hissed looking all around the dome. "I can't find…any openings…" She thought, sending out a swarm and, as she thought, watching as all of them bounced off of his defense. He doesn't have many hands and thankfully she can see them so avoiding them is easy but right now, he's merely taking steps forward, always pushing her back and laughing a loud at her futile attempts to stop him. "I am a god you fools, I cannot die! I cannot be killed, especially not be traitors like you! Foolish girl!" He roared, watching as she attempting to compress her vectors against his shield and keep him from moving forward. She felt her own feet dragging across the floor as he casually pushed her back. Grinding her teeth, she broke away, picking up a large piece of earth and chucking it at him with all of her force. It crashed loudly against the doom, shattering into pieces while Kakuzawa laughed manically.

"Weak! You cannot kill me you brat, I am a god! I am the most powerful god in the world! I am the god of all Diclonius, of every living thing in the world! Foolish brat! Foolish brat! I AM A GOD!" Raising his hands as if to say it to the world, he looked quite demented with his eyes rolling up at the back of his head.

"I'm having some trouble Julius!" Victoria called over.

"Just keep him back Victoria…I am going to finish this once and for all." True to his word, he landed on Anna's mutilated hand, racing atop her arm before jumping to the very top of her massive veined cranium. "Farewell…" one single cryptic word before he dove into the very recesses of her mind and then just as many times before, without warning, without so much as a word, he obliterated her mind. Become tangible again, her brain was torn up from the inside by his own body. No time to scream, no time to do anything, Anna's lifeless shell crashed into the murky water where her fingers as if trying to desperately cling to the shore, let go and she disappeared into the murky depths below.

"Anna? How dare you! How dare you do this to my Anna! How dare you go against me! I am a god! A GOD! A GOD!" Kakuzawa roared, this time he was truly pissed off. Avoiding hands was one thing but when an entire dome started rushing at a person, avoiding it became quite harder. His sights set on Julius, Kakuzawa like many before him found it inconceivable when his entire body, vectors and all just passed through Julius' body like air. It also gave Julius a little insight though not very help at all. He had hoped that the dome was merely an outer shell, get through it, and he could get through to Kakuzawa himself. Yet, much like he had thought, Kakuzawa had more than just an outer dome, it was completely solid. If he tried to attack Kakuzawa from inside it, he have been torn into unrecognizable pieces.

But there is always a way to beat somebody, no matter how powerful they had become. The machine granted him his vectors, therefore, more than likely it would also have the same effects that all vectors had as well. Neither he nor Victoria could do anything at the moment. Besides, what he had come for had been accomplished, Anna was dead and now it was time to leave.

"AS IF I'D LET YOU LEAVE!" He screeched, storming after the two when they made their move to the door. The pink haired girl stopped, sending her vectors into the ground, forcing all of her strength into it she began to slice the ground around Kakuzawa. "What is this foolishness…you think…GYAH!" Before the entire place around him broke apart and he fell through the massive hole that Victoria had created, falling right into part of the underground lake. She knew it wouldn't stop him, but it did give them enough time to escape through the elevator and head back up.

Livid though…how livid he was! Those fools would pay, he'd make sure they all paid the ultimate price. Kakuzawa vowed it.

The alarms meant nothing to him, it wasn't as if the bullets could even hit him. Not wasting a single second of time, Julius didn't bother dealing with the guards. The same thing could not be said for Victoria whose hands raced out, slaughtering all with in her reach. It only took a few minutes before they stepped out into day light, the smell of the salty air hitting their nose. For Julius it was nothing new but for Victoria, it was the first time she had been in the outside world.

"Alright Julius, what next?" Victoria cried and she had a good point. If they got onto a boat, they'd just get blown out of the water. Oh Julius knew what he needed to do, he had a plan and even a backup one if the first planned didn't work. Sure enough at the port a small helicopter was stationed, the same one that Kakuzawa had used to get to Kyoto before. Julius Javel, along with boats, was rather adept when it came to operating other things and the helicopter was no different. "You are determined to stay with me aren't you?" Julius stated.

"Of course, I'm not going to leave your side."

"…You are obnoxious, right now you have the chance for freedom and you waste it on being with me. Whatever, just do as I say."

"I will…"

It went all as planned, just as Garder had meant for it. To infiltrate the facility and gain knowledge on what Kakuzawa was doing directly, to kill Anna and thus cripple Kakuzawa's ultimate plans. Some of it didn't go just as he thought, but Garder had truly did one up on the old Head Director and the amount of rage was obvious on Kakuzawa's face when his men told him the bad news.

* * *

><p>"Greetings Julius Javel…" Garder answered, tossing a large pack to the nude man.<p>

"Thanks, it's been a while…guh…"

"Is something wrong?" Garder asked, noticing the look of pain in Julius' face. The man shook his head, taking the silver coin out and placing it back into his forehead where his body relaxed. As with most of his members, sometimes the coins had a limited use and overexerting his body without his coin would increase the entropy in his body to dangerous levels. Right now there was no need to use it during a time when it was unneeded. In the back was Julius' old set of clothes, the vest, even his wide brimmed hat was there. It was definitely good to wear clothes again, especially ones that were familiar. "Everything is done as you have said Garder, I have given you the information and Kakuzawa's facility, the new machine he is using as well as having gotten rid of Kakuzawa Anna. I can't say it has been enjoyable for me there."

"I apologize, I must as though…Julius Javel…who is the woman you have brought?"

Sure enough Victoria was there, mostly in the shadows and giving Garder a cold look from her red eyes. "My name is Victoria Javel…" She said sternly. Of course Garder noticed her last name and also took notice that Julius had nothing to do with it himself. He could've started asking questions on it but felt it was better to get straight to the point.

"Victoria eh? I am Garder F. Morotisan, the Director of this facility located in Tokyo. Why are you with Julius?"

"I am here to help him, in any way that I can." She replied back unhesitatingly.

"Julius…why did you bring her?"

"I had no intentions of doing so sir, but in the end you could say that she came with me. I can bring her to the Diclonius down in the basement, or I can kill her, what would you like me to do sir." Those words struck Victoria hard as stepped back, glaring at Julius. "W-Wait…you mean you'll…"

"At one point did I ever say that I was helping you?" Julius said coldly, flexing his fingers and bringing his hat down so that it covered your face. "I offered you the chance for freedom, I do not work to help out the Diclonius, I work for Garder under my own free will. Garder…what shall I do."

The old man continued to look at her through his glasses before sighing loudly and turning his chair around so that his back was facing them. "Victoria…you said your name was? Besides Julius, I have a very strong dislike for Diclonius. To me, you are the same as the rest but yet I can see a little difference in you. I assume some of Julius' personality has rubbed off on you Victoria. Very well then girl, if you wish to stay by Julius side then I will allow him to deal with you as he pleases. However as long as you do, you also serve under me. Do I make myself clear?"

"…Yes." Victoria answered back.

"You will do as I say, when I say, how I say."

"..Yes…" She replied again.

"…Very well then…I cannot say that I had seen this coming. I am putting this to you Julius, you have done more than enough to earn my trust so I will be doing the same to you."

"Aye sir, I will deal with Victoria as I see fit. I would like to as, has there been anything going on outside the facility?"

Garder nodded his head. "The facility in Osaka has been taken over the Diclonius let free, the entire place is like a battleground. I am keeping eye on the other facilities but…" He paused, putting his hand up to his face and removing his glasses. "…Things are getting hectic…and age is really becoming bothersome."

"I understand. Give the orders Garder and I will see what I can do." With those words, Julius left with Victoria, the latter having been given a small yellow dress just to have something to wear. Plain it might have been, it was still the first article of clothing she had ever worn and thus, wasn't going to complain one bit. She never though her life would go to this.

Then again…she never thought she'd so much as step outside the facility either.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: A chapter dedicated to Julius kicking ass, hope you all enjoyed it. What will happen next time on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p>

R&R


	56. In Our Hearts We Strive

**Chapter 55: In Our Hearts We Strive**

For one of the first times in his life, Kakuzawa felt more human than he had ever felt before. All of this mess started with Lucy's escape, stupid bastards at the facility don't even know how to run the damn security. Of course even to this day he still didn't have a clue that his son had been the cause of her escape in the first place. How hard was it to find that damn woman anyway? He had sent an entire broadcast to Japan to find Lucy, what was taking them so long? Of course he knew that the untrained had no chance of bringing Lucy back but he had least expected some sort of notice, a news article, something on the television, anything! It infuriated him to no end, to think he was being played the fool by everyone!

"They…will…understand…their…place." He hissed each word through his teeth.

Vladimir…Julius…they were all making fun of him. Not just the humans but the Diclonius too, who the hell did they think they were denying God? That's right; he was God, not just a god, not just a single god like Zeus or Ares. No, far beyond some simplistic mythology as that, he was beyond all of that! He was God, above any sort of "God" for that matter. The absolute God of all Gods, above even the most exquisite God. It was impossible to be higher than him, it was impossible to be equal to him.

He was God!

"I AM GOD!" He roared, his voice echoing in his office as one of the floating vectors smashed against his desk, creating a visible hole in it. "I am all…nothing is ever above me. Nothing is ever equal to me. I am God, I create life and death and futures! I am perfect! I don't need Anna to create my plans, as God my plans are perfect from the moment I think of them. No…even that is wrong, I don't need to think of my plans for them to be correct, as God they are automatically correct regardless of if I think them.

That's right…everything that I am is perfect, from birth to eternity I am God.

WHAT IS IT!"

He suddenly roared, scaring the staff member half out of his wit and closed his eyes, expecting death to come at any moment. "I-I apologize Kakuzawa…I mean…Kakuzawa-sama, but all attempts to get to Osaka have failed. They have the entire thing blocked, not just by humans but by the Diclonius there too. Forgive me for saying this, but it seems the Diclonius over there are…working together with the humans."

"Incorrect." He didn't yell it this time, though the vein upon his aged forehead certainly indicated that he was more than miffed. By saying that it was incorrect and by being God, he was automatically correct. "It is impossible for the great and all powerful Diclonius race to co-exist with you meager humans. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. You're pretty brave human to say such an outright lie to me, it's almost made my day a little better…almost. It was a good joke though, it's something you humans are decent at, but enough of these games, what was the real reason you wanted to talk to me?"

The man said nothing, only looking more and more worried.

"I see, so you only came to lie to me. You are trying to lie to God, tsk. Well I guess we both know your punishment." Unseen but certainly not unfelt, the young man felt the strangest pressure around his head, as if it was being compressed slowly. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm telling the truth!" Harder, and harder, what felt like fingers were pressing his skull tightly together, too tightly, too painfully! "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Forgive me! Forgive me!" Eyes began to bulge out of their socket, more and more before they exploded out of his face with the force of a gun, dangling outside of his own bleeding sockets. "Ah! Gah! Ahhh! I'm sorry! Forgive me! Forgive me!" Then it burst, the entire head exploding in a gory fountain of blood, bone and brain matter.

The body stood for a moment, took a step forward, a step back then fell to its knees and plopped to the floor like a doll with its strings cut.

"I will…not stand for this humiliation. I am God, and you are all tools."

* * *

><p>"Garder…I sense a total of six Diclonius outside of the facility." Julius spoke, gazing outside the window of Garder's office, Victoria by his side and nodding at his statement. "I sense them too, did they escape from here?"<p>

"No, It would be easy to sense any Diclonius leaving from the basement; however these six that I felt appeared immediately outside of the facility. Victoria, stay here, Garder I am going to check it out."

"Do so…" Garder replied.

Walking past the staff members, hat upon his head and features hidden well, Julius stepped outside of the facility. It was late afternoon, around 17:25 (5:25PM) and the busy sounds of the Tokyo City instantly reached his ears as they stepped out. Feeling the signature to the right, he inclined his head to a large hill with many trees upon it. Sure enough near the top were six figures, young girls from the looks of them though they were too far away for him to get a good look at them. He also made a special note to look closely for any other people, specifically two other people. "I don't see Roy or Bando with them; I don't believe those two came with them. I wonder…" He thought seriously, still looking up at them. Not waiting any longer, he returned back to Garder and Victoria.

"It is true, six Diclonius are up on the large hill that overlooks this facility, and I saw no sign of anybody else."

"Should we deal with them Julius?" Victoria asked.

"I will deal with them…" Garder said seriously, lowering the phone from his head and setting it upon the desk. "I have just gotten word from the director of the Kyoto facility that a mass breakout has begun. Julius…Victoria…go there now and kindly put a stop to it." Ending his statement, Garder rose up from his seat, his brown coat fluttering behind him as he stepped out of his office.

"Using these Diclonius to keep me occupied while you rescue the other Diclonius, quite ingenious Roy Synth. However do not forget that I am an expert war veteran, not just in fighting but also in tactician."

* * *

><p>Getting the other Diclonius outside the Kyoto facility proved much easier than it had been at Osaka. With a hole army of Diclonius backing them up, most of the guards in the facility smartly decided to keep back. Likewise convincing the girls there that they were trying to help was made much easier that they had about 50+ others of their kind backing them up. The only thing that was grating on Roy's nerves was how Ilya and the others were doing. In director combat they would be murdered instantly and he could only hope that she and the others knew what they were doing.<p>

"You're actually trying to help us?"

"Aye, try not to be too annoying about it." Roy muttered stepping outside of the facility and then gasping. "Oh shit…"

"What up?" Bando uttered, catching sight of the two people as well. Of course Roy wouldn't recognize Victoria but there was no doubt who that man in the wide brimmed brown hat was. This time they didn't even have time to get out the door, at least then the Diclonius could go off, but now, they were effectively trapped inside. Though it wasn't because of fear, Roy found himself backing up considerably when the male Diclonius stepped forward. How foolish he had been to forget about Julius, he had been so occupied in dealing with Garder he had completely forgotten about the Second Cent himself. While not as dangerous as Garder, there was no way in hell he would ever underestimate the male Diclonius and even though he didn't know her, the mere fact that the young Diclonius woman was with Julius only made him more concern.

"Director…" Julius declared austerely, stepping up so that he and Victoria completely blocked the way. "Close and lock the doors that lead to the outside of the facility. This is a direct order by Julius Javel, Diclonius Number Zero. Do not question me; do not hesitate at all, do as I say director." He didn't glare at him, but the look Julius gave the director of the Kyoto facility almost instantly kept him from making any comebacks or retorts. It was enough to even stop him from questioning how two Diclonius, one of them a male no doubt, had come this far.

"Crap…" Roy growled, hearing the doors shut and lock in front of him, the two Diclonius now inside the white walls of the facility. "Tsk…long time no see…Julius Javel."

"The same to you…Roy Synth." The male answered.

"Who's your friend?"

"Victoria…" The woman replied, brushing a strand of her hair out of her face. "…Victoria Javel."

"Oh…sister?" Roy asked, slightly amused now. When she shook her head and noticed Julius' rather disgruntled look, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Well then, let me talk to you then Victoria. You might need to try a bit harder; Julius isn't one to give into emotions that easily. Even if a rather beautiful woman is trying to come on to him." Still smiling, though by no means being arrogant, Victoria nevertheless felt rather insulted, and flashed her eyes dangerously. "Love can be quite a thing in this world we live in, it can even calm down instincts. As someone who has loved before, trust me when I say that I know exactly how you feel Victoria."

"Tsk…you have…some nerve bringing up a conversation like that." Victoria cried out, looking away and trying not to blush at words she knew were true. Julius himself either didn't' care or was so used to showing no emotion that it was impossible to tell what he thought of the situation. "Words are meaningless Roy Synth, by Garder's orders alone I am going stop you, Bando and the rest of the Diclonius and return things back to the way they were."

"You would think that of all the people, you Julius would be most inclined to have the Diclonius set free." Roy replied, letting his bullets float up as Julius placed his hand upon his forehead. It would be the first time either of them got a real look at each other's powers if a fight broke out, something that seemed to be bound to happen. Bando himself inserted a clip into his black gun, taking aim at Victoria whose hands circled around her invisibly yet also ominously. "Victoria…" Julius whispered, glancing over at her and Bando. "…More than likely a fight will break out now, our duty is to kill Roy and Bando and keep the Diclonius here until Garder arrives. I am putting you in charge of taking care of Bando, do not underestimate him."

"Eh?" She moaned, slightly confused.

"These are not mere humans; they have been trained to specifically handle beings like us. Underestimating him or Roy is a sure fire way to get yourself killed." As with most Diclonius, she admittedly found it a bit difficult to believe that humans could handle Diclonius but she also trusted and believed Julius so even if she was skeptical, she listened intently at the words he'd spoken. "I understand Julius, I will not underestimate him." She said sternly, her knees bending low as the trigger from Bando's gun was ever so slightly pulled. Most of the Diclonius had been pushed back by Roy, forcing them down the hallway and into a vast room. The last thing he wanted was to lose a vast number of the girls for something as stupid as a fight and since there was no way to get the doors opened yet, it would be better to keep them out of this fight. Besides in a battle such as this, the unprepared had no reason to interfere.

"Oi…Roy, feeling confident?" Bando muttered to his partner.

"Before I wouldn't have, facing against The Zero Point, I'd have been crazy to ever think of doing such a thing. I have to admit though, after fighting Garder, I'm feeling much more confident with my abilities. Still even if he is two ranks below Garder, that is all it is, just a rank."

"Tsk…good luck then ya bastard."

5 seconds passed

1 second to stare down their enemy

1 second to prepare their weapons, bullets raised, finger compressing against the trigger, hands rising menacingly into the air, the silver coin clutched upon the forehead.

1 second for a single intake of breath.

1 second for a single outtake of breath.

1 second to make any silent prayer that they wished.

And then the fight started.

* * *

><p>Shanon was a youngest of the girls with Ilya, her pink her slightly redder than most and while long had two distinctive loops near the back of her head. She was only 13 years old, having been taken to the facility when she was one year old so while she had lived in the outside world, she had been too young to remember any of it.<p>

Veronicah, at 14 years old was surprisingly well developed for her age and possibly one of the most mature. Her pink hair was cut short near her shoulders and her bangs pulled back so that only a few strands actually fell over her face. Her voice was high pitched even for her age and it was similar to that of silver bells.

Beratana was 15 years old, the same as Ilya whom had the rather stunning attribute of a full endowed chest that even for her age, seemed almost implausible. Like most Diclonius her hair flowed down her back, ending at slight curls near the end. However her hair was a much dark shade of violent than the normal pink that was scene, making her stand out quite well.

Lorlanya, also 15 years old was the smallest of the group, her pink hair falling deeply over her face down her back with nothing unique about it. However her eyes even for a Diclonius were quite piercing.

Lastly, standing just in front of Ilya was a young girl named Rufiela, the oldest at 16 years old who two distinctive marks near her left eye. She along with the others stood by Ilya's side, watching the pure white facility from a top of their lookout. Garder still hadn't come out; just a few staff members and some strange man in a hat that gave off a strange feeling. For them, it was the signature that all Diclonius had but a Diclonius out in the open like that? Still, their main objection was stopping Garder, the moment he appeared that was their time to make their move.

"Roy should be at the other facility soon…" Beratana alleged to her Diclonius kin, nobody answering but agreeing silently together.

"Once Garder comes out, that'll let us know that Roy has gotten to the facility. Then all we have to do is just keep him away long enough for the other Diclonius to get rescued." Ilya said strictly, the small cell phone still deep inside the pocket of her dress. You're right Bera, Garder should be coming out soon and once he does…"

"**I will be ending the foolish charade of children's games…"**

!

Caught completely off guard, the six girls only had the chance to turn around before Garder struck his hand straight through Rufiela's chest. Blood flowing down his arm, he pulled it out and pushed the dead girl aside, stepping forward with the gleam of the sun glaring off of his horned rimmed glasses. A high pitched scream of "Rufiela!" sounded from Veronicah, her hands emerging almost on instinct to slice the murderer apart. Her anger was understandable but Ilya knew that trying to fight Garder right now was akin to suicide. Too late though, unable to stop her in time, Garder easily avoided the hands that tried to strike him but the single hand from himself pierced through the young girl's chest like a knife through butter. This was no time to waste, no time for any more mistakes; action had to be taken now.

"Everyone! Run and split up!" Ilya cried out before flinging herself straight off the hill with her vectors. Understanding, the others did the same, all of them leaping off in opposite directions and heading down into the institution. A bit irked at these turn of events, Garder opened up his brown coat so that his scarred open chest was visible and the silver coined tightly etched upon it. He only needed to concentrate once before the insertion of the formula was given into his body. The world became dark, his eyes white with blindness but his senses now overloaded. With the dust kicking into the air, he stormed down the hill to the first of his victims. Ilya knew that right now, though it really did pain her to do so, separating was the best option right now. Garder was going to come after them and if he caught them, he would kill them. There was no mistake in this logic and so, to her, this was the only thing they could do. Separate and have Garder waste time trying to kill them all separately instead of as a group. The others apparently knew it as well because there was no hesitation in any of them when Ilya told them what to do. As members of the same species, they were willing to help each other to the very end, even if it meant death.

The first to die was Shanon, her young form stopping near the bottom of the hill as the others flew past her. She knew she was going to die; she had seen Garder's powers as well and knew there was no chance for her. She knew as her vectors came out to attack that it was useless, every attack avoided didn't surprise her in the least. In only a few short seconds, the cold grip of his murderous fingers found themselves around her throat. Her neck was broken an instant later and young soul fell to death. Pitiless, his ears searched out the second closest person, listening to the booms of her hands hitting the ground to keep her afloat.

Lorlanya had smartly decided to keep as high in the air as she could, hoping that Garder wouldn't be able to reach her. She was half right, at several meters in the air; Garder wouldn't be able to reach her normally. So with but a click of the pin, she saw the small grenade just a moment before it exploded. Raising her hands just enough to block the attack, there was still enough force to send her careening back to the ground, only barely managing to make total impact with her body by using her vectors. But it would never matter, the moment she came down, Garder raced towards her, his leg spinning out in a wicked kick towards her head.

"Tsk…sorry Ilya…I wasn't able to get you all much time…" She thought before her head splattered in a gruesome mess of mercilessness.

By the time Ilya got to the door of the facility she could hear the sickening sound of Bera's head being smashed in. She didn't bother to look behind her; she didn't even waste time to let out a tear of regret for her fallen comrades. Had they all seriously stayed behind just to give her a little extra time?

How cruel…

How…entirely cruel it was.

* * *

><p>But of course, others were well aware of the things going on in the outside world. It didn't take long for Kakuzawa to become aware of the happenings around the Kyoto facility and a helicopter was already being prepared for him.<p>

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: The next chapter finished as we begin to finish up on the third arc of the story. The chessboard is laid out and the pieces are set. The question is, who will emerge victorious? Stay tuned for the next chapter of "Pinpoint Lifeline."<p>

R&R


	57. Dereliction

**Chapter 56: Dereliction **

Blasting forth a breakneck speed, the first shots were fired off by Roy and Bando simultaneously. At the same time Julius and Victoria had broken ranks, separating to take on their designated opponents. While certainly concerned, Roy honestly wasn't all that surprised when his bullet passed lazily through Julius body, after all it would never be that easy to beat him. Still, even for a Diclonius this was something he had never expected. It was one thing to deflect bullets with vectors; it was an entirely different thing for the body to become a vector itself. That at least was the assumption the blue haired man made before Julius disappeared completely inside the left part of the wall.

"Tsk, so this is your power Zero Point?"

"Aye…" Julius spoke out, his voice echoing around the room. "Zero vectors…Zero length…Zero Point. My body, my mind is my power."

The Australian clicked his tongue in annoyance, trying to see what Julius was planning. Right now they were fighting in a large corridor that only began to separate into different paths a few meters away. If Julius wasn't going to attack him, the best thing to do was to attack him from behind, from the other side of the wall; in fact it was really the option he could take. Even with such a point, how was he supposed to get to that side anyways? It didn't seem like Julius to waste his time or energy in heading all the way through the walls, attempt to get to the other side and then attack from another angle on a person who already knew what he was planning. It was simplistic to the finest degree which was exactly why…he wasn't attacking Roy.

"Bando! Watch out!" Roy roared, seeing the danger a moment before it was too late. The soldier was bombarding victoria with his bullets, keeping her back but seemingly unable to hit her body except for her shoulders. It wasn't as if she was at the advantage though and Bando certainly knew that. "What's wrong horned freak, never dealt with Tungsten bullets have you! I've fought horned girls more than enough, don't underestimate me…huh Roy?" Bando exclaimed before Julius popped out of the wall, his hand swinging out in a claw like fashion towards the soldier's head. Through sheer battle prowess, his head jerked back with his metal hand defensively rising up towards his face. The hand slashed forth, going through the hand like air while materializing at the same time. The sound of circuits exploded racked the room before Bando's mechanical hand was torn to pieces.

"Son of a bitch!"

However if a loss a hand ever stopped Bando, then he'd have kicked the bucket long ago. His handgun was already aiming at Julius head, firing and yelling another obscenity when it passed right through. This time Victoria was prepared, knowing that Julius couldn't be hurt in his position, though she also knew it was taking up his energy as well, she used her vectors to strike through his body and attack Bando directly. The last thing she expected was the soldier to jerk his head to the side, her fingers just barely scraping his face, leaving three distinctive slash marks on it. Julius certainly noticed it, not sure how he had done it unless he somehow managed to learn Garder's hearing ability. Bando couldn't help but smile broadly. "Don't underestimate me freak, it's taken a while but I finally learned to feel the vibrations from your hands."

Victoria hissed under her breath. "You think that makes a difference to me?" She continued to attack and she had rather good point as well. Dodging one hand was something, but when several came at him, Bando was at disadvantage; even now his best bet was to fight using distance. Something like vibrations worked well in open spaces, but in a close corridor, 6 hands rushing at him from different angles would prove difficult. The sheer fact that Bando was even avoiding hands, things that were supposedly invisible was enough to grant him credit, but when the hands began slicing across his arms Roy had to act.

*ZIP* ZIP* *ZIP* *ZIP* *ZIP*

If Julius' powers made him impervious to attacks, than just like before Roy's bullets would pass right through him. This time though, it would work in Roy's favor because while Julius might not be affected, Victoria herself didn't' have such an ability. It was great time as well as her hands were getting for too close to Bando's vital spots for comfort and her hands quickly moved back to intercept the onslaught of bullets. "Ah! Guh!" Certainly as expected she was unprepared for the bullets to keep attacking, flinging back and then rushing at her again. The action gave Bando enough time to regain his footing and take several steps back until he came up to the blue haired man. He might have gotten Bando out of a touch situation, but things weren't becoming any easier. Roy's specialty was sniping, in the untraditional way it may have been, it was still shooting an opponent from an unseen direction. They were in a corridor too, it wasn't as if he could spread his bullets out and get them behind Victoria.

"Here we go again…Bando keep on your guard." Roy yelled, Julius disappearing inside the walls again. This time Bando watched his surroundings, even keeping his eyes on the floor and ceiling. The man knew, or at the very least assumed that the male Diclonius was completely unaffected by bullets until he was solid again. He could make the assumption from his own destroyed hand on this matter in fact. Roy's hand had passed through it before without any harm to it but as it he became solid, he instantly destroyed it. Julius relied on close range and sneak attacks, unable to be hurt but unable to hurt except at the right moments.

In a single movement, Bando swerved as Julius appeared, moving out of the way when his hand came rushing forward mercilessly. But this time it wasn't aimed at Bando, his attack this was for Roy, his outstretched fingers barely missing his targets neck. Yet a different ploy at the same time, and Bando saw the flash of the gun just a moment before it was too late. There was only one other time he had ever seen a Diclonius use a gun and that first time wasn't exactly on his top list of good things that happened to him. Before giving a resentful thought of "Fuck you…" at his first battle with Lucy, the hook shot through Bando's foot, pinning it to the floor. "Ah! What the hell bastard!" How perfectly clear it was made now though, this was Julius' plan the entire time. Attacking Roy to put Bando off his guard and then striking from an angle, truly one worthy of the title of Second Cent

Yet Bando's exclamations of not to underestimate him weren't just for words. During the strike, the next plan of Julius came into effect. His next attack flashed back to the brutish man's throat, leaving only enough room for Bando to serve back, but unable to move his foot, he landed flat on his back, grinding his teeth angrily. This time with nowhere else to move, death seemed certain for the ex-SAT member, but as before, Bando's truly came into effect. Just before Julius could strike him down, Bando's black pistol whipped around without warning and fired rapidly.

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

Each shot just as predicted went through Julius body but this time cropped brown haired man did not stop his firing. This was the power of tactful fighting and the ability to think in high pressure situations. There was a reason Bando was an expert fighter and while he never expected Julius' attack, he almost immediately had a plan in this situation. Sure every shot that he fired would miss, would go straight through the man's body without harming him in the least. In this position, Bando had, without stopping for an instant, keep firing into Julius. An expert gunman knows the amount of bullets he has in his gun, and for him, there are about 72 bullets left total, but the problem was that Bando only had 54 bullets in his gun and the rest were in a second cartridge. Even if he had another usable hand, he doubt he could insert the cartridge in fast enough before the Diclonius did his lethal strike.

Each shot was fired at an interval of .43 seconds. Therefore, Bando could only stall Julius for about 40 seconds total.

*BANG!*

49 bullets

*BANG!*

48 bullets

*BANG!*

47 bullets

Julius was sure to have enough energy to survive the onslaught and then kill Bando but Victoria was given orders by Julius to deal with Bando herself. That and needless to say a rather emotional outburst at seeing him being attacked was also a fine reason for her to send her vectors lashing at him. How dare that fool tried to harm Julius, regardless of how stupid it was, it completely pissed her off and the last thing they wanted was a pissed off Victoria.

"You bastard…!"

"No chance!" Yelling loudly, Roy took the first step in, shooting off a stream of his bullets to keep Victoria at bay.

"Kah! You are so annoying!" The young woman screeched vehemently, shielding her body from the brutal offensive. Her teeth clicked together in annoyance, small beads of sweat falling down her face and her fist tightening together. A battle of time had commenced, made clear by Julius' ever growing sterner face.

*BANG!*

37 bullets

*BANG!*

36 bullets

*BANG!*

35 bullets

Roy had to keep Victoria away at all cost, an endless supply of bullets but in a position that only allowed him to attack in a direct manner. He could only hope to keep her at bay and hope for a miracle to happen. Victoria was the only person in a direct position to attack Bando, but due to Roy's actions that was made impossible. Bando himself is on a timed offensive, and as Roy was doing with Victoria, he must keep Julius occupied for as long as he can. Julius is on the perfect defense, nothing can hurt him, and nothing can get through his defenses no matter how hard they try. It is the perfect defense, a defense equal to Kakuzawa's own shield but with no offense to compensate for it. A battle of offense and defense from both sides of the group, all of which was narrowing down to just a single specific point, time. Would Bando run out of his bullets first, or would Julius run out of energy first? Bando and Roy didn't know that Julius' powers weren't infinite, for them, this was merely a stall for time, not an actual plan. But even battle there was a thing called luck and it wasn't against the laws of the universe to use it even if they were unaware of it.

Victoria knew of Julius's position, she could tell from his frustrated look and as more beads of sweat started running down his face. "Why don't you back off!" She roared, directing her anger back at Roy who just kept on pushing her back, not letting her take so much as a step forward. "Back off you say? I should be telling you that, in case you didn't know we aren't the ones who started this, we just wanted to rescue a few people. It's you who should back off Sheila."

"What the hell do you mean by Sheila! Is that some sort of insult!"

"…No…I'm Australian, we say that sometimes."

"What the hell is an Australian!"

Roy gave her a very questioning look. "Wow…you really haven't been out much have you?" He said simply, rolling his eyes at her. It did nothing to calm her anger before she angrily spat back at him. "You trying to start a fight with me?" At that point Roy truly had to laugh. "Hahaha! Now that was a perfect case of irony there.

But something was amiss, in the frustrating battle Roy hadn't paid too much attention to it before but then something became quite obvious to him. Julius was impervious to damage right now, his body was taking the effects of the vector and thus everything would go straight through him. Why in the world would he still stay in the same place, letting Bando shoot at him again and again to stop him? It was definitely keeping him from attacking, but what kept him from retreating? The reason smacked him dead in the face, how foolish he was to even think Julius had gotten himself caught in a trap, this was instead a trap for Bando. He was purposely making Bando waste his shots on him, knowing that if he stopped he could go in and kill him in an instant, but at the same time whenever he felt the time was right could just get out of the way.

Julius kept his concentration up, he knew how much entropy his body could handle, if it became too much and Bando still didn't use up all of his ammo, he would retreat. Bando had to keep shooting, if he stopped he died, but Julius could do whatever action he wanted whenever he pleased. Waiting for Bando to use up all of his bullets would have been preferable for him, but his body had finally hit its peak. He swerved back, disappearing behind the wall again and remerging back besides Victoria, pulling his hook out of Bando's foot. Likewise the two humans retreated back a bit, distancing themselves before Roy gave a long look at Julius. "You can't use your powers forever can you Zero Point? It's like Vorono's ability, it can only be used in moderation."

"…Aye Sniper, unlike you who has the ability to infinitely use your weapons, I must use mine wisely."

Despite that, Roy didn't feel like the battle was going to be any easier.

"Julius, how long will it take for you to get your energy back?" Victoria asked hurriedly.

"Not long…30 seconds at tops."

The blue haired man narrowed his eyes. "A small margin of time then, doesn't give much for options. Right now Julius seems to be unable to his powers during this time, doesn't make him any less dangerous though. Yet even if we attack, it'll just be blocked by Victoria. No matter how we look at it, we are at a disadvantage in this tightly closed space. Bando, how many bullets do you have left?"

With a click of his teeth and holding his gun in his mouth, Bando inserted the second clip in.

"Kuh! 18, I used up the last one just as retreated, this is all I have in this clip."

"Damn, our options are looking limited. Time for a change of plans Bando."

The pink haired woman furrowed her brows. "Just what are you thinking right now fool? What sort of half-baked plan do you have now?" Roy only smiled at her, returning his bullets though still keeping them at the ready.

"We're at the disadvantage right now Victoria, even though Julius is unable to use his powers, he still has use as back up, Bando's lost over half of his ammo and to add more to it, we're fighting in a close environment. From the moment this fight started, we got the bad end of the stick. So in all good battles, if you can't beat him…RUN LIKE FUCK!" Turning around, the two men raced down the hallway, enticing a rather flustered Victoria to make chase before Julius stopped her.

"Victoria!"

"Ah! J-Julius, they're getting away!"

"Of course, they are changing the outline of the battle now. They know that they cannot win in their current situation so like any good tactical fighter they have changed options to better suit them. I still need a few more seconds to relax and let the entropy in my body die down. Nobody can get out of here right now; our next battle will most likely be an open space area, where they can move around more freely. As such my sneak attack tactics won't be effective anymore. You heard it from himself, Bando only has 18 bullets to use, he is the one at the greatest bit of danger. Ahhh…my body is better."

Finishing his statement, Julius flexed his fingers, slightly passing them through the walls before becoming solid again. No need to waste his energy after all, just a mere test to see if he was truly in top condition again. "A good fighter always makes good choice; it's not always about pure strength. Roy Synth and Bando know this best, and it is because of this that they can fight so well against Diclonius. We are going to make a change in our plan as well, I want you to deal with Roy this time."

"Huh? The blue guy now? Why the change?"

"Bando is an incredibly skilled person, but his attacks are linear and thus easy to follow. In sheer strength of his bullets and his own endurance, he surpasses Roy. He can be difficult, that is most certainly true, but not unbeatable. Roy while not having the same amount of strength or endurance, has more mobility in his weapons. He is The Sniper, you saw his bullets and how they move under his own volition. We are lucky to have been in the position that they were, otherwise he could have gotten his weapons past us and then attacked from behind."

"This means I have to watch my back as well."

"Correct, now that you've seen Roy's fighting style you have a better chance against him, though remember this. He is a member of Cents, designated as The Sniper, he is not going to go easy on you. Truthfully while it be good if you did kill him, I am not expecting you to do so."

The young woman looked slightly abashed. "You don't need to underestimate me Julius."

"I never said I did, but as you can tell our opponents are not novices. The entire idea is to work out like this. "Bando only has 18 bullets left, those bullets will be used up soon enough. He will then be completely defenseless, allowing for me to kill him. You only need to use that short amount of time to keep Roy occupied and then we take him down together."

"Ah, I see." Victoria said.

With those words, the two set out to find the two men.

* * *

><p>Garder went through the broken doors of his facility, relaxing his body and returning it back to its original form. Sight came back to him before suddenly flashing wildly before placing his hand upon his face. He looked around, able to see yet everything even more blurry than before even with his glasses on his face. "Using my coin has drained even more of my sight than I imagined. I need to use it sparingly now." He thought, glancing up at the shocked staff members and following their frightened gaze to the large hole in the ground. "Are we supposed to be playing cat and mouse now Diclonius? Of course you've been doing a lot better than I've given you all credit."<p>

"Haa…Haa…Haa…Haa.." Breathing heavily, Ilya found herself in large open room corridor, several spaces, both open and closed at her disposal. She may have been young but she wasn't stupid and she knew she had to get out from the open. Looking for a place that seemed to be good, she found herself a good crevice behind a horde of boxes and quickly knelt down there. Just in time as she could instantly hear the distinguishable sound of Garder's footsteps.

"Alright Ilya…" She thought to herself, doing her best to calm her breathing. "He uses sound to find us, even when we use our vectors he can somehow hear them. I can't make a sound, I have to breath as slowly and as silently as I can. I'm not afraid…I'm not afraid…I'm not afraid." She continued to tell herself that, she had to keep as calm and as silent as she possibly could.

*TAK* *TAK* *TAK*

The footsteps were coming closer.

"Relax Ilya, keep quiet, you can do this."

*TAK* *TAK* *TAK*

He was far too close for comfort, he was right at her, his slit eyes glaring around him, listening for even the slightest sounds to show her location. She could see him from the tiniest crack, his cold eyes glancing all around the darkened room, sometimes even flashing to her direction but never keeping them directly on her. What seemed like a perpetual amount of time, Garder finally turned away.

"Yes…please go away. Please go away right now."

*BASH!*

Before suddenly turning around, his foot swinging out and smashing the box into pieces with a single blow, revealing a very frightened looking Ilya huddled in the corner like a trapped mouse. This time there was no way for her to get out of this one and his hand was already raised to strike her down. At this, as if to just prove a point, to show some sort of defiance, Ilya rose up, spreading her arms out and yelling wildly. "Fine then! I've lost! You've killed all of my friends and now you're going to kill me! We just want to be accepted, but your assure to just keep killing us until we stay in our dungeons aren't you! Fine then, I see you what you are now Garder, you aren't a man, just a weak, cowardly being!

Come on then, I'm ready! Go on and kill me! Come on then!"

_"Come on! Garder F. Morotisan, show the entire world what you are, just an old murderous man taking the lives of us because your too blind to see that maybe we can have a little change! But I won't let Alya be in the front when you kill us, I'm going to take the majority of all the pain! Come on then Garder, what are you waiting for?_

_Come on!_

_Come on!_

_Do it!_

_DO IT!"_

"Why are you hesitating Garder?" Ilya growled dangerously, so much rage and pain in her eyes. Sure enough Garder didn't attack, his hand was raised but for the same reason as with Elrya Alya he refused to attack. "Go on Garder…there isn't anything I can do now. You've won, you've killed my friends, murdered them before my very eyes so why don't you do the same to me? Come on then…"

* * *

><p>"<em>How quaint Garder, what's keeping you from killing her now? She's as you say a danger, her killer instinct is greater than any Diclonius that we have ever seen. What's stopping you my friend, are you feeling something for her because she's the daughter of that woman?"<em>

"…"

"…_What's wrong Garder? Has it not, even as you go blind, become clear as day now? How quaint life is…"_

"…_I am merely acting of what I see best Vladimir."_

"_Aye! You are great at doing that, I can attest for that. You are The Perfect Soldier after all, who is able to take on any opponent. But there will always be that one point that will haunt you forever."_

"…"

"…_You can win all of your fights, you can defeat and kill any opponent that you wish. Every person can be crushed without hesitation. You are The Perfect Soldier, capable of fighting in even the roughest of situations. _

_But no matter how hard you try…_

…_You will never be happy."_

* * *

><p>…<p>

…

*SPLAT!*

It came, one single motion of his hand before it crushed Ilya's heart like so many others. "Kuh…Gah…I'm sorry everyone…I tried." She thought sadly. "Well Garder…tell me…are you happy now? One less freak like me in the world for you to deal with." Unable to continue talking, her body shuddered before falling lifelessly to the floor, her lips partially open with blood trickling down it. Her small frame was limp and motionless, not a single sign of life in her half opened eyes. Removing his hand from her body, Garder found the small cell phone in her pocket, removing it and then walking away from the scene of the crime.

"_Well Garder…tell me…are you happy now?"_

"What do you think…?" He growled menacingly.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Though valiant and of course having brought at least a litle time, Ilya has ultimately been killed by Garder like so many others. Menawhile the battle between RoyBando and Julius/Victoria is heating up. What will happen next time on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"


	58. Double Team Turnabout

**Chapter 57: Double Team Turnabout**

"Listen girls…" Roy said, heading over the spaced room where 150+ Diclonius girls were currently stationed in. "The doors to the front door our locked as you know, those other two Diclonius are looking for us right now, Bando and I need to make sure we have enough room to fight. Therefore we're heading down to the lower left side of the basement, it has a wide open area near the end. We're going to keep them busy there, use this chance to try to get out."

"Shouldn't we try like before?" A small girl from the Osaka facility asked. "You know, go underground and get out that away."

"Honestly it wouldn't be a bad idea, but they may have something for that though. You guys completely outnumber them but your best bet is to get some sort of key from the director of this facility. Use him as a hostage to get what you need. As long as we can keep Julius and Victoria occupied, you can use that time to find the director." But one of the girls had a quick question for Roy.

"Are you sure the director has a key to the door?"

"I can't be certain about anything…" Roy said seriously. "However as the director, he's the most prominent character to have a way to open and lock the door. If he doesn't have one, then your shit out of luck so of course he's your best bet. I'm putting this to you; try not to screw it up."

* * *

><p>The two Diclonius walked out into the wide open space of the lower area basement, steel walls with splotches of blood on it. Victoria groaned deeply, her crimson eyes flashing across at a very specific splatter of red. Julius however paid no such attention to the gore, just the room itself. "13 meters in length, 8 meters in width, how long are your vectors Victoria?" He asked coldly, gazing at the two men who stood ready for combat. "Its 9 meters total Julius, why?" She inquired, her eyes ready on Roy just as Julius had told her. The male Diclonius thought deeply at this point.<p>

"This means that Victoria will have to have at least 4 meters of open space behind her for her to openly attack Roy if they stand as far as they can from each other. His bullets travel much further than that distance but she has no way to defend herself from behind. In other words, I have to kill Bando while Victoria stalls for time.

…Victoria! Remain against the wall and stand at a corner, keep Roy back until I finish the job." With a burst of movement, Julius went forth to Bando's body, his out once again reaching for his throat. The fingers miss, his body turning around as his foot swing back, attempting to cleave him in half. Each blow as dodged with careful skill, made much easier by the fact that unlike normal vectors, Julius' body was completely visible. He wasn't going to waste his bullets just yet, he had to save them for the right time. After ducking another would be lethal blow, Bando jumped back, passing by Roy's back as Victoria starred them down. As long as Roy stayed where he was and didn't attack Julius, she saw no reason to strike at Roy. She had to give them credit, not until now would she ever have thought humans to be so good against Diclonius. Still the tension was getting high for both her and Roy, eyes locked tightly against each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"He's smart…" Julius inquired to himself. "He's been dodging all of my attacks but hasn't made a single one on his own. He knows he can't waste his bullets needlessly. In that case…" The male Diclonius served back as his next strike mixed, before pulling out his unique hand gun and firing it. The shot blasted forth, rubbing past his ear and slamming against the wall harshly. "Not bad…he's recognizing my moves and trying not to make the same mistake again. Humans wouldn't be so fascinating if they were beaten that easily." For Julius, this was one of the few things that truly made him happy. People like Garder, Vladimir, Roy, Bando, all these humans with their unique minds make his life so much more interesting than it usually was. This is in fact Julius' ultimate desire, the soul reason he joined Vladimir and Garder and goes against his own kind, even creating the logic that he is mentally human. He wants to enjoy the challenges that worthy opponents can give him, never going easy on them which only makes those like Roy and Bando even more exhilarating. He doesn't show emotion, and he truly does his work as Garder or Vladimir says, but each time his moves are countered, each time he's thrown back a step…

It is invigorating.

But as before he is also doing his duty, and while he may enjoy the challenge of these fights, he ultimately must set his goal to finishing them. Victoria has done just exactly as he has told her even if she hasn't made a move yet, she had kept Roy back. It always come back to one point, distance, even when one is able to somehow avoid vectors, and it all counts in the distance. Roy is too far away for Victoria to attack him and she is too far away for his bullets to have a real affect. Thus, it was time to spice things up again.

"Kah! Bastard!" Bando roared, the Diclonius male disappearing inside the walls yet again. Where would he go? Where would he come out from? There? Where? Here? This is the fight between tactics, which one ultimately prevail? Turning around, Roy barely avoided the fingers coming near his face as Julius emerged from the wall. He took several steps back, only becoming quite aware that he is in Victoria's range. Unable to help but smile wickedly, she sends a stream of hands directly at him, heading right for his shocked eyes. "Move it dumbass!" And the grin is instantly replaced by anger when Bando moves in, rough pushing his blue haired partner out of the way before death could wrap its hungry fingers around him. But he's made the mistake of ignoring his own back and Julius uses this to unleash his next attack.

*BAM!*

"Arrrgh! Again!" Bando screamed, the hook inserted into right leg pinning him back to the floor. Roy was able to articulate a single curse before Julius charged in for the next killing strike. With no other choice to be made, Bando starts to shoot rapidly again at his opponent, the same effect as before happening again. Each bullet goes through him, unaffected as normally.

*BANG!*

15 bullets

*BANG!*

14 bullets

*BANG!*

13 bullets

"Sh-Shit!" Unable to take anymore, Roy attacks the other woman relentlessly, his bullets flashing in front of her to push her away, yet shooting at Julius itself is useless and just getting close to Bando will put him in enough range for Victoria's attacks.

*BANG!*

8 bullets

*BANG!*

7 bullets

*BANG!*

6 bullets

"As if I'll let you get past me human?" Victoria taunted, lashing out again to keep him away.

*BANG!*

5 bullets

*BANG!*

4 bullets

*BANG!*

3 bullets.

Julius got prepared, only three more bullets, then he would die.

*BANG!*

2 bullets

*BANG!*

1 bullet*

***BANG!***

The last one flew through his heart, unhurt before solidifying his body. At any moment that he felt like, he would plunge his fingers into Bando's skull, rupturing the man's brain. No fear, no regret though a bit of disappointment in himself for being caught by the same attack twice was definitely etched upon Bando's face. His gun was still raised, useless and pathetic but as if trying to make one last stand he kept it raised. "I believe…" Julius started. "…That this is checkmate…I congratulate you on the great fight. Farewell…Bando."

"Tsk…I see, I tried my best I guess, can't really complain even though it sucks. I really wanted to kick your ass. Shit I didn't even get the chance to kick that pink haired bitch Lucy's ass. But whatever…oh there is two things I'd like to say also before you kill me. One of them is…you aren't going to kill me, I can't die that easily."

"Hm?" This certainly caught Julius attention.

"The second…statement, and the most important one…

**Who the fuck said I used up all my bullets?"**

!

*BANG!* One single shot to fire, a single shot of unknown origin that blasted through Julius' upper chest, blowing him straight off of his feet as he caught his balanced, a clear look of surprised on his face. He only barely avoided having his heart pierced through and his red eyes could still see the flash of red spurting from his chest. To think he had been so foolish not to have seen it, when they had passed each other, Roy must've dropped one of his bullets for Bando secretly, thus giving him an extra 19th bullet that he and Victoria hadn't been aware of then. But the man made one mistake, a fatal mistake of not making the shot lethal, of not being perfectly ready to aim at his head or heart.

And that's exactly where the human's plans came in. Bando had just fired a bullet that came from one of Roy's rounds. That shot went through Julius, non-lethally perhaps, but it would still be enough to impair him. But bullets do not disappear and there was a reason Bando had shot Julius the way he had. Wisely it would have been better to shoot Julius in the heart, get rid of him now but with his ability to avoid all attacks, Bando needed to strike instantly, not waste time with moving his gun and giving his actions away, especially after his last statement. So where did the bullet go, this bullet that was now hovering in the air and the smile of victory greatly etched on Roy's face. Why hovering…right behind Victoria's back.

"Victoria!"

"BANG!*

Through the leg, knocking her off balance and thus, the chaos issue out. Blasted forward by the attack, Roy's time was now at hand and the swarm of bullets that flew around like bees around the room, in front, behind, above, all around the two Diclonius in a maddening attack. Julius had just enough energy right now to incorporate his powers and avoid the strikes, though he clutched his chest painfully. Victoria wasn't as lucky, she didn't have these special powers and could only help to protect her head and heart from the more lethal attacks. In the end, by the time she got to the wall, she was already bleeding profusely, her left arm dangling limply by her side until Julius stood next to her. She gasped, swallowing deeply and choking, spitting up a handful of blood. It might not have been good sportsmanship, as if such things mater in this situation, but Roy just had to smile, Bando, pulling out the hook walking up to him with a sneer just as great.

"Looks like the advantage has come to us now?" Roy uttered heartily. His bullets circled around him ominously, flickering all around his body. "I suppose you realized what happened eh Zero Point?"

"Of course…I was foolish not to see it coming. I realize my mistake, I should've been watching your movements more carefully, I hadn't plan on you giving one of your own bullets to Bando. Truly an expert move Roy."

"So why don't you give up, both you and especially Victoria are heavily wounded. For her, I doubt she could take another full ahead assault from my attack and I'm wondering just how much energy you have left as well. Face it you two, this time we have the advantage." Roy spoke out, his words holding fairly true at that point now. Julius' entropy was getting too high now and Victoria had been badly damaged in the attack, leaving her in a poor position to defend herself against another powerful onslaught.

"It is true, this time you have gotten the advantage. Allow us to even the score. Victoria, it's time we separated our battle."

"G-Got it Julius!" His partner yelled before he again went for Bando. "You have no more bullets, you have no way to defend yourself this time but to dodge." Attack! Attack! Attack! Only someone as skilled as Bando could avoid so many strikes with two wounded legs, but this time he would not be caught again. Roy got into the action as well, sending a few rounds at the man to at least get him off Bando's tail. Another quick movement, the soldier rolling across the ground and then Victoria made her next move as well. Her vector did not strike at a person, but a place, the very ceiling of the room. Her hands went up, sliced across the metal and brought the entire thing down in a heap of destruction. A large cloud of dust obscured the room, blocking all vision for a short while.

* * *

><p>Coughing, Roy finally managed to open his eyes, widening them considerably at the wide spread of debris blocking his view. In front of him was only one person, Julius Javel, The Zero Point, his vest still blowing in the dust. The same thing happened with Bando and Victoria, the two were on the opposite side of the wall.<p>

"There we go, I have evened the odds again." Julius said simply, brushing a bit of dust off of him. "The room stands at 13 meters apart and 8 meters wide. Each side has now been halved, which for Bando will make it much harder for him to avoid Victoria's attacks. Not to mention that a lot of your specialized bullets are now on the other side of the room, unable for you to use.

"Tsk…he's got a point there" He thought heftily. "Right now he only had about 10 of his bullets with him. "Oh well Julius, it's still better than nothing, what about you? How much energy do you have left, I doubt much after that wound."

Julius merely wiped the blood smear away, the cold red eyes locking onto the green ones as the two got ready. Once again it had now become a battle of time and distance. Would Roy reach Julius first with his bullets, or would Julius reach Roy first with his attacks? For the very moment of a singularity silent moment, letting a single breath of air in and out, they finally attacked.

Hey may only of had 10 bullets but he could use them endlessly. Like a swarm of angry hornets they zipped around the enclosed space, sometimes going through Julius' form and sometimes just missing completely but always acting chaotically, at least to the opponent. Such a short distance would easily allow the Diclonius to close the distance and in no longer than 4 strides did reach for Roy's neck, slashing at the air and a bit of Roy's chest. Reacting immediately, he attempting to strike a blow with his own foot during the brief moment that Julius was solid. It failed, though he hardly undeterred when his foot passed through the man's head in the usual ghostly matter.

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

The was the only sound, a bombarding of firepower against the walls, the floor, the ceiling, all of shattering the very sound barrier with in the enclosed space. Metal against metal, sparks were already flying out at every conceivable angle , so powerful that it was even heating up the room. The next attack, straight for his head Roy could feel the very strands of his hair being sliced off in his attempts to dodge the attacks. They stopped simultaneously for only a split second, feet stomping on the ground to hold their balance and then swerving around each other to deliver the next blow. To the chest the hand went. To the head the bullet flew. Avoided in both instance, through skill and power the two members clashed against each other in a show of undoubting ability.

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

Duck! Dodge! Avoid! As long as Julius is using that power of his, he is invulnerable until the very moment he attacks, how long until his energy runs out? Perhaps he is overexerting himself, trying to use too much of his own entropy? But it doesn't matter, until that power is used up, Roy has to dodge every attack, because if one reaches him and he solidifies, it's over. Two kicks are deliver gain, one dodged, one passing through, two feet stomping back to the ground while the shower of bullets continue to rain around them. It may not be hurting him, but it's definitely throwing Julius off balance. Roy has to keep it up, he has to put Julius in a harsh position where even when he attacks, it must be the most precise of areas. A third simultaneous attack, bullet, hand, a missed slash, a missed vital piercing of the black ammo. The two slide back, hitting the wall and collecting themselves immediately afterwards.

Panting, both of them are tired after this ordeal but for Roy it merely means fatigue, bad, but it isn't stopping his ammunition. The Zero Point is tired, his body is shaking and he is sweating deeply. He is fatigued like Roy but he is also on the last line of his entropy. 20 seconds tops is his maximum, if he uses his powers any longer than that, his body will begin to suffer negatively. The bullets have come back to Roy, spacing between his enemy he narrowed his eyes darkly before bending his knees low to make room for a quickened burst of movement. Copying his exact move, Julius bends low, his hand touching the ground, feeling the hot metal sheen. He knows he must strike now, no matter the cost he must strike within the 20 seconds. There wasn't a second wasted, they've analyzed their situations, analyzed their opponent and their abilities, the only thing left to do is act.

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

15 seconds…

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

10 seconds

It's hot, too hot, like a burning furnace.

5

4

3

To the heart! Aim for the heart!

To the head! Aim for the head!

2

Kill! No relent, no pity.

Only the sudden change of an attack, the appearance of a gun.

The shocked look on a man's face.

1

*BAM!*

A painful moan, a shot of a hook through a chest.

Closing the final distance, the blue haired man is jerked forward.

It comes to his heart…the feeling of death from before. This time he isn't escaping

So the final bullet is released. To the head! To the head!

*BASH!*

* * *

><p>Sneering broadly, Victoria despite her wounds felt much more at ease now that she didn't' have to worry about random attacks from behind her anymore. It was now a straight forward battle, head on collision, no tricks of any kind. To add more on Bando's negatives, he was back in the same position as he was when he was fighting her in the front hallway of the facility. This meant that he would be much harder to avoid her vectors than it would be in the open space, how great things can change in a battle of tactics. An advantage to each constantly switched back and forth through vast skill and intelligence.<p>

"You're out of your game now, accept the fact that you've lost this match, I hold the advantage…human."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Still looking down on me are you? It's going to be quite pleasurable when I beat your sorry ass into the ground…Diclonius."

The woman only leered back at him. "This isn't the time for boasts human, I may be hurt but I'm still in a better place as far as location goes. We both know that there's no point in trying to deny it. I have vectors, I don't need to move, but to get to me you have to move, on those wounded legs of yours." Her smile widened, feeling quite confident with herself, something Julius most likely would've scolded her for. "But of course…what can you possibly do? You don't have any more bullets."

"Heh…you're pretty stupid aren't you? I guess it runs in the blood, ya horned freak."

Victoria's conduct changed drastically, no longer sneering at him but definitely glaring hatefully. She snapped her finger, pointing at him as if to accuse him of something. "Don't play me for a fool, we both know you have no more bullets in that gun. You used to the last one that Roy snuck to you against Julius, that thing is empty! You have no bullets inside of it!"

"Correct, I don't have any bullets in it…yet." Bando exclaimed.

"What are you…?" She began before looking on the ground. Several of Roy's inactive bullets were sprawled out on the floor, some by Bando's feet and some by her feet. "It'll take you time to get just one of those bullets ready. I'll tear you apart before that ever happens."

"Well then…" Bando stated, his grin broadening along with the beat of sweat, the same for being said for Victoria. "…Let's see how well your hypothesis holds out."

MOVEMENT!

"**IT'S ALL TRUE, YOU WON'T FIRE OFF A SINGLE SHOT BEFORE I KILL YOU…HUMAN!"**

"**THEN I'LL JUST PROVE YOU WRONG WITH THOSE WORDS…DICLONIUS!"**

*BAM!*

Reaching for one of the bullets by his feet, a sudden smacked it away, swarms of others flying towards him. Concentration to the upmost degree was needed, six hand total, that was the exact number she had said to Julius, therefore it had to be the truth. Nevertheless that wouldn't things easier, it merely gave him an idea of what to do. Vectors were like arms, hands connected to long appendages. He tried to gather another piece of ammo, bringing his hand back in the nick of time for one of her vectors nearly clipped it off. It was becoming annoying now, he couldn't even reach them before she swatted them away.

"Heh! Heh! Heh! Having trouble are we…human? Why don't I make this interesting for you…" She said, her hands reaching out and without much luck in getting them before her, she rolled the silver bullets to her feet, leaving them to her area. "How does this play for you? Why don't you come and get the bullets now."

"Tsk…you damn little bitch…" Bando hissed angrily.

She only continued to smile haughtily at him. Her hands were once again coming around her, Bando began to loosen up the sleeves of his coat before pushing his sunglasses up his nose. Again she only smiled arrogantly back, snapping her fingers and slashing the wall as if to prove her dominance. "Come on then human, come at me? Let's see what you can do now in your situation? Just moving around this much has probably put a lot of stress on your legs, I can even see them shaking right now. Heh! Heh! Heh! Heh! Face it, you've lost! I've won!"

Giving up wasn't in Bando's dictionary, just grind the teeth and look at opponent hatefully while thinking of a plan to kick their ass. What plan though? The closest bullet was right by her feet, he had to get past her vectors, put the bullet in the clip, set clip in the gun, and then fire all while still avoiding her vectors. Add to the fact that Roy's bullets weren't exactly the Tungsten type to begin with practically meant that he had to be right up in her face to shoot, not like that part would be too much trouble. No flash bullets, no gas grenades, nothing but a useless handgun against her. Then by all means it was time to go plan B, which only meant one thing. Kick some ass and hope for the best.

Nothing else can be said or thought, Bando ignoring all the paint hat he could in his legs lunged forward with a loud roar. A bit staggered by his sudden rush towards her without any sort of plan, Victoria sent her first arm out, no longer surprised when he avoided it. It was one arm, just a single arm, she had 5 more and she'd just bring the last one back to her to skewer him in the back. "Urrrraaagh!" His roars only grew louder, if one could see his eyes they'd see only a chaotic determination to reach his opponent no matter the cost. Forward to the enemy, ignore all pain in his body, just get to the enemy. Do not hesitate! Do not relent!

*SLASH!*

This time one to his shoulder, ghostly fingers digging through and taking off a huge chunk of the upper flesh. She knows she can win, she has to win, she must win! He wants to fight against her then she'll give him a fight, he has no chance to shoot a single shot at her! No matter how many times he tries, she'll never let him get a single shot out! "Kaaah! Kaaah! Kyaaa!" Rasping through his mouth, the third arm near takes his head off, it goes to his neck, slash through the outer part, barely avoiding slicing it completely open. No time to staunch the wound, no time to even care, it is nothing. "This time you're dead…" She though hatefully, her last two vectors zooming inward to take him down, he can't avoid them both, no way!

*SLASH!*

!

She strikes right through, her vectors tearing into…the fine fabrics of green coat. "What the…!" She can't understand, did she make a mistake, did she screw up somehow? How did she miss, where is Bando? The answer to the second question was answered right to her face as the brutal man, wearing nothing but a blackened shirt with a few rips in it, came right up to her face. Nothing but a blank look of incomprehension as able to cross her features before something hit her, something so inconceivable she hardly believed it happened. The only thing she can do now is stare in disbelieve as a well-aimed and very powerful fist flew towards her face.

*CRACK!*

A single blow from his fist, gun still in the palm of his hand shatters her nose on impact, throwing her head back first with blood sprouting into the air before Victoria was literally knocked off of her feet. Bando's fist, tightly compressing inside of her face uses all of his force to bring her forward and smash the back of her head, reeling her in forward in a daze of uncertainty. Stars twinkle in front of her eyes, spit flying through the while the world spins and blacks out around her in tandem. "Ugh…Gah…ahhh…" It hurts, her head hurts, her nose hurts, she can't even think straight, she's just barely aware that her nose have hit the ground and a pool of blood is flow from her face. "Ahhh…Wh-Wha…Ahhh…Haa…Haa…Haa…" Get her vectors back, get her vectors and slice this fool apart without hesitation! Do it now! She has to do it now! Make him pay! Make him pay!

*Click*

"Huh…?"

Heavy breathing from both sides, but this time, the tides have turned against her and Bando gun, bullet inside is now against her forehead. "That was…" Bando breathed heavily, his trigger finger tightening. "A pretty damn good try, I'll give you that much credit ya horned freak. Now then, I believe this is where you start begging for your life."

She scowled at him. "Don't play me for a fool, even we Diclonius have our own pride. Still I guess it isn't that bad…" She said smiling though definitely still angry, or rather to say disappointed in herself. "…Getting killed by a human like you…"

"Is that your way of saying I'm better?" Bando inquired smirking too.

"…Don't get so cocky human, I'm merely saying your better than I expected."

"Ha…I'll take it I guess. Now then…checkmate."

*BASH!*

* * *

><p>Simultaneously each member of the battle was completely thrown off balance by the furious shaking of the room, as if a massive earthquake had struck the room. Roy slid back along with Julius, no longer able to hold his powers, his body solidified and careened against the wall, trying to collect his balance again. Bando and Victoria both fell back, a small stream of curses escaping the soldier's mouth. "Son of a bitch! What the fuck was that!"<p>

"Yo Bando, you throwing bombs over there?" Roy yelled.

"Bombs! Where the hell would I get bombs right now! Dumbass!"

"Tsk…sorry! Sorry!

"Ugh…J-Julius…are you alright?"

"I'm fine…worry about yourself."

*BASH!*

"That…doesn't sound like the Diclonius…" Roy muttered, Julius rising up and looking through the crack of the make shift wall to see the door. With each resounding bang, his eyes narrowed more and more. After another ten seconds of waiting, one loud explosion burst through the entire room, pushing most of them back and destroying the make shift wall halfway so that they could all see each other again. Bando and Roy were rather speechless while Julius and Victoria both moved together, their body poised to attack again.

"Look what I found…" Kakuzawa growled, his dome opening up a large hole through the door way. "A bunch of rats…"

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another chapter finished, two in one day, w00t! A fight of tactics, skills and power has been played, almost ready to end until a certain director decides to come in and ruin the party. It's 4 against one though right? That may be true, but unlike the rest of them, Kakuzaw isn't heavily wounded and this time, he's not about to let get away so easily. What will happen next on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p> 


	59. The Last Stand

**Chapter 58: The Last Stand**

The four of them took a few steps back, concern upon each of their faces. As for Kakuzawa, a cold grin was already on his face, his self-created vectors floating outwards to meet them. Victoria struggled to remain on her feet, blood dripping heavily onto the floor and her vision faded in and out. Another heavy step backwards before she lost her balance, caught quickly by Julius who knelt down, gently picking her back up. "Ugh…I'm too hurt…I can barely move my body, I can't even pull out my vectors right now." She moaned, grinding her teeth together angrily.

"What's up with Kakuzawa?" Roy muttered nervously, Bando having the same question as well. The soldier while unable to see it, could feel a massive influx of pressure all around the Head Director. "A specialized machine to create vectors…" Julius groaned, still too weak to use his powers. Perhaps he had taken too much damage during his fights and it was taking even longer for his powers to return. He felt like his body was burning on the inside, trying to use his abilities now would do more bad than good at the moment. "Roy…Bando…Kakuzawa is surrounded by a vector dome, stay 2 meters away from him."

"Vector…dome?" Roy uttered, easily confused but believing Julius at anyways. "So what is there any holes in it or something?"

At this Kakuzawa couldn't help but laugh crazily. "Holes human? The only holes are those in your logic that you think you can stand up to me. I got word that a couple of rats were creating problems here but I didn't expect to meet olds one too. How are you doing Julius, long time no see? You look like you're having a lot of trouble there, used too much of your power, let me help you." Pulling out from his suit a small pistol, Kakuzawa shot Julius straight through his left shoulder, blowing him off of his feet against the wall. His sneer grew while Victoria, utterly horrified limped over to his fallen frame as the others growled underneath their breaths.

"Ah! Julius! Julius, get a hold of yourself!" The young woman screamed, watching with grief as the male Diclonius struggled to get up, only succeeding and sliding down even more on the wall. Victoria was already wrapping her arms around him, tears streaming down her face which despite the rather tender moment, Julius still found it to be a rather annoying sight. "Why are you crying Victoria, I have been shot in the shoulder, not in the heart or head. It isn't like I'm going to die from such a wound." He muttered, but decidedly kept himself from pushing her away as he would've done before, instead he found it secretly comforting that somebody cared that much for him. It wasn't made better though when Kakuzawa shot Julius in the arm, once again spraying the wall with blood. Hearing Victoria's anguished cries, he honestly felt sorry for the woman even if she tried to kill them a few moments ago. His bullets slammed into the invisible barrier, deflected far too easily.

"Shit…" Roy grumbled, letting his weapons float back towards him.

The greedy old man cracked his olden knuckles, his old bones popping loudly in the room. "It's useless, I am God and I can't die. I can't be hurt. Don't worry though blue boy, though you will die soon I have a debt to settle with those two Diclonius, therefore you can use this spare time to reflect on all the stupidity you've done. Now then…" With each step Kakuzawa stepped in closer and closer, his large dome forcing Roy and Bando against the side until he came up to Julius and victoria, sneering cruelly at both of them. "You think I would ever forget the humiliation you showed me Julius? I had such high expectations from you but what a failure."

*BANG!*

"Stop it!" Victoria shrieked, trying to staunch the newly created wound in Julius' side, her tears still streaming down her face. "Please stop it, he can't even fight back, there's no reason to keep doing this Kakuzawa."

"Oh but there is! He is a mistake who had tried to defy God. He must be punished but I will not let him die easily, I will make sure he suffers greatly."

*BANG!*

"Urgh…" Julius groaned, another shot to his side, the man purposely avoiding shooting him lethally but definitely in painful spots. For Victoria though, each shot was a killing blow to the point where her entire body now covered his wounded figure. Roy himself could hardly take it, both because he was well aware of the points of love, having been married himself but also from the sheer act of unfairness that Kakuzawa was playing. He and Julius were enemies there was no denying that and yes this had been a fight to the death but at the very least it had been a fight. Two beings testing their skills and tactics against one another, it was at the very least honorable. Kakuzawa however was attacking them when they were weak, hurt, beaten, broken, and unable to even move or defend themselves. But he couldn't do anything, he couldn't get a single shot in through the shield.

Bando was just as pissed, perhaps even more than anyone else. He had already used up the one bullet in the gun on Kakuzawa, obviously being of no use either and was left with no way of even attacking now. This was all just a sick joke for Kakuzawa, he got them all when they were weakened and was going to kill them one by one. Starting with Julius, then Victoria, then Bando and lastly Roy. He even contemplated putting their corpses out in the sun for the world to see, let them hang by a noose around their neck, or leg, or arm, or whatever body part was still attached when he finished with them. Victoria continued to shield Julius' body with her own, desperately attempting to bring out her vectors though it would've been useless. Kakuzawa firstly had more vectors but it wouldn't' have matter even if he had zero. His dome was a thicken coat of vector energy, merely walking into them would be enough to rip them all to shreds. That would never work though, a quick death would never atone for the sins they cast upon God.

"How sweet little girl, why do you protect him? You should huddle in a corner and breathe a little longer."

"Why?" She asked, glaring daggers at the old man while another fresh wave of tears poured from her red eyes. "You understand nothing Kakuzawa, you try to act like you understand us, pretending those horns on your head make you one of us! You think just because you have vectors that makes you a Diclonius? You will never be one of us, not once, those two humans over there are more like us than you'll ever be. Julius helped show me that there was a better way of living, a better way of looking at things. But if there's one thing I remember most of all, he told me that if I ever had to blame anyone for my troubles, blame the ones directly responsible for it. That's you, old bastard, you're the blame of my problems!

I won't let you hurt Julius anymore.

I love him…"

"Heh…how sweet…" Kakuzawa laughed, raising his vectors to strike with deadly force. "If you're lucky, both of you will go to Hell together, straight to the second level. Your bodies will be blown away in the fiery wind, that's where all that love will go. But so be it, I'll kill you both at the same time…"

*BAM!*

* * *

><p>"What the…!" Unable to determine what had happened, Kakuzawa felt like a bulldozer had suddenly bashed into his back, pushing him slightly forward. Eyes snapping wide, Roy could hardly believe what he was seeing. Firstly there was a massive hole even bigger than the one Kakuzawa had created where the exit would've been. Secondly the entire group of Diclonius girls were there, red in the face with their vectors pressing against Kakuzawa's shield. "Y-You blasted idiots, what the hell are you still doing here!" The blue haired man roared, an answer prepared just for that question. "You're the idiot Roy, we're helping you out no matter what and it's a good thing we didn't leave too! Get those two out of the way!" A small girl of 12 shrilled in her high voice. Bando, groaning loudly from having to move his leg, quickly pulled Victoria and Julius onto his shoulders, pulling them out of the way while Kakuzawa was forcibly pushed back.<p>

He was getting sick of all these antics, they who went against God. So why was he being pushed back, he was God, mere Sipilets couldn't harm him. How wrong he was, his defenses were great but vectors were still vectors and when over 300 vectors simultaneously pushed against the dome, it most certainly would push it back as well. "Traitors! Traitors! Against God I send them to damnation. Traitors of God! Traitors of God!" His eyes roll up in the back of his head, only most of the whites showing while he attempts to keep himself from getting pushed back.

"Roy…Bando! Get out now…we'll keep him back."

Hardly able to believe it, Roy nodded once and raced out the door, doing his best to help Bando out while carrying Julius and Victoria. There were a few Diclonius out in the hallways as well, probably for defense in case anybody else tried to stop them. Sure enough there was a few torn up bodies from security that got too in over their heads. He could hear explosions from downstairs and the rather sickening sounds of bodies being torn apart. "You blasted idiots! All of you are blasted idiots! This entire thing won't matter if you all die!" Roaring at them, they broke out into the late afternoon air, the red skies almost a miracle to them. From inside the facility he could hear the roaring of a certain bastard. Thankfully and what should've been done a long time ago, streams of the Diclonius started running out, at least a hundred of them so around 2/3 survived the onslaught against Kakuzawa. He was also quite glad when they started leaving, soaring up into the air and blasting off though some did stay, wishing to protect them all.

"Enough you all, get out now, you know where you should go to now!" Again Roy couldn't believe their stupidity. Yet at the end of his words the sounds of rotors sounded around him, a thick black helicopter hovering above with tinted black windows, making it impossible to tell who was in it. It didn't land, well enough as Kakuzawa stormed out in a fury of rage, his shield strangely off balanced and twisted, even showing what seemed to be cracks inside of it. Julius was the first to truly see it, the change in Kakuzawa's shield but at the same it hadn't grown any weaker. It did give him a good idea, and was a helpful point in his hypothesis with the shield itself.

Unsure of what to make of the new arrival, the young girls still kept in front of Kakuzawa, trying to keep him back as a small rope ladder flew from the helicopter's doors. "You traitors against God! Do not leave without judgment! I am God! I am God! I am the master of all things, the master of life, death, everything! I am God!"

What an annoying sound, Bando grasped Roy by his shirt, obviously having no way to get a grip on the rungs of the ladder. Using what energy they had, the two Diclonius clung to the ladder as well before they were lifted up into the air. The girls had no idea who had come but for them, the group was safe and there was no longer any reason to keep Kakuzawa back. Some smiled devilishly at the look of horrible madness on his face before launching into the air and heading back to Osaka. How could he have been tricked again? They would all pay! They would all pay dearly for going against God!

"DO YOU HEAR ME! I AM GOD! I AM GOD! I AM GOD!"

With his screams dying in the wind, the four pulled themselves up into the helicopter before the doors shut tightly behind them. For Victoria, she didn't even care who had rescue them, her eyes were set only on Julius' wounded body, almost thinking he was dead until he opened his eyes again. "Once again Victoria, your annoying habits have no bounds do they? I will not be dying from these wounds, they may be harsh but not lethal." Her only response was to bury her head deep into his chest, and choke on a laugh at the kind of logic he was using. That Julius alright, even after taking several gunshots, he still kept that cool attitude. "You're just the same as before, trying to act like nothing has happened. It doesn't matter though, for everything you've done and taught me I will always stand by your side. I love you."

"Once again…you are being annoying." Julius muttered but even then his head was gently resting against her shoulder.

"Well then…" Bando groaned, rubbing his legs tenderly. "Who helped us?"

The answer was given soon enough when the group raised their head.

"You've been creating so many problems for me…" Garder said, his black slit eyes starring coldly at Roy and Bando. "...And it's starting to get on my last nerve."

* * *

><p>"Garder…you…saved us?" Roy mumbled in disbelief.<p>

"Do not be mistaken, I did not rescue you, I came for Julius and Victoria, both of whom I had wished to kill you two. However I guess I was wrong to think the former Fifth Cent and Bando would be done in so easily. Do not think this is an act of mercy either, I am merely changing tactics with this fight against Kakuzawa." He spoke out in his broken voice, hands folded upon his lap with the same deadly look in his eyes. "Already two of the facilities have been broken into and the Diclonius set free, their numbers migrating to Osaka. I of course have you to thank for that, it's caused a lot of mess for me. The only other facility left besides mine and Kakuzawa's, is the one in Kobe. Twice I have failed to stop you, I give the battle for those to you, but I will not let you rescue the other Diclonius from there."

"Really now?" Roy said snidely, leaning back against his seat before instantly dropping the act. This was Garder he was talking to, trying to act tough wasn't going to work against him. "I guess we can't do anything about it. Oh! I wanted to ask you something Garder, did…"

"Did 6 Diclonius attempt to stop me while I was at the facility?" Garder answered before Roy could finish, causing the young man to narrow his eyes. "Yeah Garder…and one of them…" Once again Garder interrupted him and answered the question that Roy had been dreading the most. "Had a small cellphone in her pocket. All six of those Diclonius are dead, they were killed by me."

!

"Ah…Kuh! Ilya…" Roy said deeply under his breath. "Why did you have to be so foolish girl?" He wanted to yell at Garder, to scream his rage at him but he held it back. He knew that Ilya had gone over to Garder's place, she and the others had started it and Garder had only finished it. He could never forgive him for killing Ilya but there was nothing else that could be done about it. "So Garder what are you going to do with us?"

"I offer you two choices…" Garder said sternly, raising his index and middle finger. "You can either be taken to my facility where you and Bando will be locked. I also hope you understand that escaping from me will be much harder than it was at Kyoto. The second option I give is for you and Bando to form an alliance with me to take down Kakuzawa."

?

"An…alliance?" Of all the things that Roy had been expecting, that certainly wasn't it. Garder only folded his hands back across his lip, bowing his head low so that he glared from a top of his head. "Those are your options, what will you choose?" Garder asked strictly, waiting for an immediate answer. Sighing to himself, Roy declared his next answer plus more. "Obviously Garder we'll pick the second option, being in prison doesn't exactly help us. Also just because we would be fools to even try, we will not try to rescue the Diclonius in Kobe, but I would like to make you an offer."

"…What would that be?"

"…Right now over a 100 Diclonius are going to meet up with even more in Osaka, firstly you are not to attack them."

The old man quickly flexed his fingers. "I refuse that offer, once this fight with Kakuzawa is over and I plan on making sure that he doesn't win, those Diclonius will be returned back to their facility." Roy couldn't help but sigh again, he had expected that answer but as before it didn't make things any easier. "…We'll be at an opposition when that time comes Garder but what if I made a secondary offer with yours. Why don't you accept the help from Osaka, and have the Diclonius help us against the fight with Kakuzawa. They may be Diclonius and I know you hate them even if…" His eyes traveled over to Julius and Victoria before turning back to the old director. "…Anyway it's an increase in numbers and even you know that the greater numbers in the war, the more of advantage they have. I wouldn't be surprised if Kakuzawa had a few aces up his sleeves as well."

For a moment, Garder actually looked away, thinking hard on Roy's offer before voicing his question over to Julius. "Number Zero, what do you think of this offer?"

"…It is a wise choice sir, it has come to my knowledge as I had seen that Kakuzawa's shield has the same properties as our vectors. It is created by a specialized machine that that he wears on his chest, granting him his powerful shield. This shield however acts in the same way our vectors do, it has a certain limit on entropy. Even if we, this means I, Victoria, Bando, Roy and even you put all of our might together, we would never be able to break through that shield. However if a vast increase in power was used against it, there is a high probability of it breaking."

"That's good Julius, but you shouldn't talk too much your body…" Victoria began.

"There is no need to be concerned Victoria, my powers are coming back now. Give me a moment." Julius, concentrating hard slowly leaned forward. His many gunshot wounds that were sprawled out all along his body suddenly started closing, the skin overlapping until finally his wounded flesh was as new as ever. The young woman, startled looked all over his body in case there were any more wounds before exclaiming, "That's amazing Julius, how did you do that?"

"I am the Zero Point, Julius Javel. You already know that Diclonius have an abnormal healing factor compared to humans, mine just happens to be even better. Instant regeneration, as long as the wound isn't lethal and I have enough entropy to use it. In the fight with Roy and Bando there was no way I could use it at the time."

Garder still had some questions to ask though. He pushed his glasses up his nose, blinking his eyes to get his sights back into focus. "Julius, for the time being I will agree with your statement on how to deal with Kakuzawa. Let us say that for now I have the Diclonius in Osaka join us, would they plus our numbers be enough?"

"I doubt it sir, even the combined efforts of over 200 Diclonius wasn't enough to break his shield. To be honest sir, it would probably take at least 400 Diclonius before the shield began to reach an overload state and even then it may take more than that."

"Which means…" Roy stated with a matter of fact voice. "…Garder, the best option is actually having the other Diclonius from the facilities released and help us stop Kakuzawa." But Garder wasn't going to have that, not now, not ever. "I will not allow that, it's bad enough that the Diclonius from Osaka and Kyoto have gotten out, I will not allow anymore to escape." Yet at the same time, Roy couldn't help but yell viciously at the older man. "Damn it Garder wake up! Don't you see times have changed, whatever hatred you have for the Diclonius, give it up! I don't know what happened in your past and right now, I really don't care. You've accepted Julius, you even accepted Victoria and unlike the former, she doesn't go around calling herself a human! Wake up, smell the air, see the future ahead of you, stop regretting the past.

…it may surprise you, but they can help us, just as we can help them. It's not even a question, it's fact, we need their help! We need every help we can to make a better world for all of us. Stop this ridiculous hate for all of them, for Elrya Alya as well! Come on Garder F. Morotisan!"

…

…

"…"

"Answer me Garder!" Roy roared again, his green eyes flashing dangerously. "You know my words are true, useless anger isn't going to make things better. I know, I've been there before. Come on Garder F. Morotisan!"

…

…

"…Julius…what should I do?" For the first time, Garder was unable to answer himself. His brows furrowed and he even took his glasses off, his lips tightly pressed together. "Garder…I can't answer that for you, it's up to you to decide." Julius replied simply, letting Victoria rest her head gently against him again, true compassion in her eyes for him. She couldn't help but giggle when he put his hand on her head, even slightly ruffling her hair though it would've been to know if this was because of inner feelings, or just plain boredom. She noticed it too because she smiled gently at him. "You should show a little more emotion Julius…I think…"

"I'm good." The man answered back firmly as always. She only shrugged her shoulders, starting to rub her face against him until Garder's cough brought her back to reality. She quickly let go, putting on her serious face and looking rather foolish. Garder was a person whom she wasn't sure if she liked or hate, but because he had such a high respect from Julius, she felt the need to at least show that same respect herself. Well he had allowed her to stay and become, for lack of a better word, Julius' apprentice. Though she of course wanted to be a lot more to him than just an apprentice, closer to a lover would've been better. But now her attention was directly situated on Garder, perfectly serious and waiting for his answer.

"…Very well then…" He uttered, closing his eyes. "…If the best course of action is such…then I will set the Diclonius free and have them join the others in Osaka. Kakuzawa will probably head to the direction soon enough."

"So you're finally going to set them free huh?" Roy started.

"Do not get the wrong idea Roy Synth, I have merely stated that I am willing to set them free for the purpose of this fight alone. I said nothing about freeing them for good."

Roy was about to argue back but decided against it. When that time came then he would argue but for now, they had a equalization of views. They both wanted to stop Kakuzawa and they both agreed that their numbers had to be increased dramatically. Therefore no other words were spoken, they were brought to Garder's facility in Tokyo, wounds stitched up and the final plans set into action.

* * *

><p>Another grey morning, was it perhaps always this gloomy in the world? Miriana wasn't sure anymore, she had woken up from her nightmare filled sleep, waking several times up screaming. The young girl glanced at herself in the mirror, ironically clean like the rest of the room that was part of this hellish citadel. She hadn't bathed in days; her hair was unkempt, eyes sunken and bloodshot, and the smell of death all around her. Her hand was broken, her foot torn up, her face complete lacking its usual shine. Everything hurt so badly, her body, her mind and her soul.<p>

"Miss Kusoku…"

That voice, it wasn't Vladimir so it must've been one of his butlers that ran the citadel.

"…Y-Yeah?"

"Master Cents would like to speak to you at the front of the room, please come immediately."

She wasn't sure if the way he was talking was serious or a joke. It was plainly strange to see Vladimir and his crazy antics and then see these butlers talk normally like they would for a normal person. Who was she to start asking questions on normality, everything normal and good had been smacked out of her. "I-I understand…c-can you…give m-me a…m-minute?"

"Of course Miss Kusoku, do try not to take too long though.

She got dressed, her same outfit as before, dirty and ripped with the same smell of blood on it. Opening the door, the person she was talking to was a middle aged man in his 50s, balding at the top and wearing a clean cut black suit. "Please follow me milady." No point in arguing, she did exactly as she was told, following him weakly and slowly with feet dragging harshly across the floor. He didn't bother helping her, not surprising why would anyone working for Vladimir ever want to help her. She couldn't help but ask a question growing on her mind. "…Why do you help him th-though? Vlad..ugh…ahh…he doesn't care about you? I'm s-sure he's killed many of you before."

"That is true…" The butler said plainly. "I have seen many people killed by Master Cents, some quick and some slow. Not just last night a good friend of mine had his neck cut open by the master and I was commanded to bury the body. He was a good friend, we talked a lot, I hope he is well in the afterlife."

"Then…ahhh…shouldn't you stop? Shouldn't you all stop? Shouldn't you a go against him? H-he doesn't care, he'll just torture y-you all for his own amusement…"

"You understand little Miss Kusoku…" The butler's manner took a sudden nose dive, his eyes furrowing darkly. "…All of us know that Master Vladimir Cents has no care or compassion for any of us. We are but tools for his use, and yet we all serve him under our free will. Do you know why this is? All of us are not from Hungary, this is merely where we all met under Master Cents' rule. We have gathered under him because we admire his amazing zeal of desires. All of had desires, every single one of us wanted something desperately but we were all too weak to search for it. Then we saw Master Cents and his great desires, stopping at nothing to attain what he wanted. We follow him because we respect him, that perfect, never faltering ideals of his…"

Another cruel game was about to be played on her, she knew it. They wrapped a thick rope around her body, lifted her up in the air and had her dangle from the ceiling, the cold eyes of Vladimir gazing up at her small frame. "Good morning Miriana, have you awaken from your silly little dreams yet? I hoe you've been enjoying the morning, was the bed comfortable enough?"

She didn't' answer.

"…Well it won't matter anymore, that will be the last day you ever sleep in there again."

She turned her head to the side, slightly confused. "Wh-What do you mean?"

His smile spread a bit, reaching inside of his pockets he pulled out his thick handgun, the young girl's eyes widening by a huge margin. "Well I've decided that you've played your part well, it'll be fun to show Elrya Alya your dead body." Oh she understood perfectly well what he intended to do, and the fear on her face was enough to describe how she felt about the situation. "Y-You're going to k-kill me?"

"Aye Miriana, I'm going to shoot you all over your body, in your legs, your arms, your gut, your neck, your heart, your face, your brain, just going to go all out with this gun. Don't worry, I'll make sure your face is at least partially recognizable after I'm finished. Though unless you go bald it'll probably be easy enough to identify the body." He aimed, licking his lips obscene and tightening his trigger finger.

!

"I don't want to die…" She though heavily. "I don't want to be hurt! I don't want to be killed! Help me! Oh god help me! Help me! Help me!

HELP ME…"

"Heh…Heh…Heh…how quaint, the girl is crying. I love that, watching people suffering and begging for their lives is like sweet nectar. Are you ready to die? You're going to die? Maybe I'll burn half your body when I'm done, you like fire don't you?"

"…Help! Help! Help! Help!"

"Sweet dreams...Miriana…"

!

*BOOM!*

Vladimir stopped, his eyes for the first time widening in surprise as the front gate exploded inwards with the force of a small bomb. Two butlers were smacked away, landing painfully on their backs but displaying no disarray of their position. They only got back up and joined the others who stood in two separate lines on either side of Vladimir. A thick cloud of brown dust filled the entire room, causing Miriana to choke while Vladimir continued to stare with same look of surprised concern upon his face. Then slowly, as twisted as it could be a small smile slowly crept on his mouth. The same smile grew more and more until his eyes tightened and the gin of madness was completely on his face as he saw the figure step forward out of the dust.

"…You're finally here…I've been waiting…Elrya Alya."

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: And thus the final chapter for the 3rc Arc is finished. Elrya Alya has finally arrived to rescue Miriana and take Vladimr down. The epic battle coming up soon in the upcoming fourth arc of the story. She's gone through many trials, faced impossible odds and now it's time to finally take the Mad King down once and for all. What will happen in the next chapter of "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p> 


	60. Limits

**Chapter 59: Limits**

Nothing but coldness radiated from her crimson gaze, directed only upon the dark man sitting at his throne, smiling evilly in her direction. Her mouth was closed but from the way her cheeks were moving, one could tell that her teeth were secretly grinding together inside. A few strides behind her, Yin followed, keeping his distance and swallowing nervously at what was about to come. How much she hated this man, who would dare try to hurt her family and friends, such an act was entirely unforgivable. He would most certainly pay, he would pay for all the crimes he had committed, all the terrible actions he had done, all of it would be atoned for. The fight hadn't even started and she could already feel her fury seeping out of her body, the crazed look in her eyes only had one thing for Vladimir.

Death!

Unable to hold it any longer, unable to keep this false look of stoicism, her face broke out in a large snarl, made even more gruesome when she looked up at poor Miriana's condition. "E-Elrya…Alya…?" The young girl whispered hesitantly, disliking that crazed look in her friend's eye. Her body, Vladimir had beaten and torn her apart so badly that she was surprised her friend wasn't crying out in pain. But what made her seethe the most was the sunken gaze in Miriana's eyes, lacking any sort of warmth whatsoever. He hadn't just beaten her physically; he'd beaten her mentally as well. "I'm here Miriana…" She spoke, trying to keep her voice as calm as she could so she wouldn't scream at her best friend from the rage she was feeling. "I'm going to stop him…I'll make him pay for everything he did to you. I swear it! I fucking swear it!"

Amused, Vladimir tilted his head back, starring down at the girl he called "rival" and chuckling deeply inside of his throat. "Welcome to my…"

"SHUT UP!" It felt kind of good to yell but this was it, she was fucking sick of hearing him talk. The man stopped, the same look of amused surprise on his face and just as surprisingly he went quiet himself. "You have no right to talk Vladimir Cents. You have no right to do anything anymore! The only thing you have the right to do is to die! I kill you! I'll fucking kill you! Kill! Kill! Kill! I will make you pay! I will make you fucking pay!"

"…"

Never before had she been this angry, never before had she felt such indescribable rage. Her blood was boiling inside, her veins about to explode in a fury of incomprehensibility. "…But I'm not going to kill you…"

"Eh?" This time Vlad truly was confused, his eyebrow rising up.

"…I want to kill you…I want to kill you so badly. I can't even think of enough ways to murder you to satisfy my want, but I won't do it. I made a promise with both Miriana and myself that I wouldn't kill again. Even someone like you, someone as twisted and unforgivable as you, I won't kill. But you will pay, I'll be sure to break you, break every bone, and send you into a writhing torrent of pain and agony. By the end, I'll make sure you cease to stand forever."

"…Heh…Heh…KYA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Doubling over, Vlad burst into an insane fit of laughter, his maw wide and cackling loudly so that his voice echoed throughout the entire room. "How amusing! How quaint! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! How greatly amusing you are…Elrya Alya! Such an admirable speech and even more admirable declaration! However…I don't think you realize the fallacy of your statement. If I don't die, I will continue to hunt down every person you care about."

"…Which is why I'm going to make sure you never stand up again." The girl replied sinisterly.

"Oh? What will you do, break all of my bones?"

"It'll be a decent start…" She answered back, stepping forward now as the wind rushed around her. "…Yin, keep back! Miriana, I'm going to save you, I swear it!"

Without warning, without any signal, the young Diclonius shrieked, her voice shrill and high as if she had been holding it in for a long time. The only thing her mind was set on now was beating Vladimir! She raced across the room, chaotic eyes dead set upon the enemy ahead of her. With each stride her vectors emerged, elongating and twisted, their fingers ready to deliver the judgment that was so needed. Half way towards him, she used her hands to push herself into the air, making a single leap up to him before swinging her vector out horizontally. The upper part of the throne that Vladimir was sitting in was smashed completely of off, the debris fling through air and hitting the ground loudly. The only part of Vladimir she managed to hit though was a few strands of his golden hair, having ducked just in time. His body arched to the side and he quickly flipped himself over just as another hand slammed directly into the chair, destroying it completely. She didn't let her sights off of him, watching him roll back to his feet, she was already on the move.

His body swerved to the side, avoiding the next two hands, spun quickly and got around the Diclonius, holding her in a tight headlock. "Gah! Ugh! Inhuman bastard!"

"What does that make you then Elrya Alya-chan? A humane monster?"

*BAM!*

As if hit by a car, Vladimir felt the pressure of six vectors grinding into his gut, throwing him backwards and straight through the left door. Wood splintered all around him as his body crashed through, sliding painfully against the carpet. No time wasted, Alya took control, straight towards the man she would continue to break him down. Vladimir was still sliding until his hand gripped the floor and with one lunge, flipped himself back on his feet. Yet by the time he did it, the feeling of a cold hand was already pressed against his face and his body was slammed into the wall, blood seeping from his face. "Unforgivable Vladimir! You are unforgivable!" Even with blood seeping from his body, the twisted smile still hadn't left his face. Moving quickly, he side stepped Alya's next attack while simultaneously pulling out the left most rod in his shoulder. As if synchronizing their movements, both of them attacked at the same time.

*BOOM!*

Vector met rod and a shower of blue sparks scorched the room, black stains of burned stone flaring hellishly upon the walls. Livid as ever, her hands struck at all possible angles, attacking, slashing, hacking as each one was deflected with amazing skill from the First Cent. Vladimir took one step back, his foot stomping loudly before chucking his rod right at the girl. "Fool!" She roared, catching it easily and holding it at her side. Yet at that very moment, Vlad's eyes shot open wide before bringing his right hand out and squeezing it tightly.

"DETONATE!"

!

*BOOM!*

At the single word, the rod blew up right next to Alya, blowing her right against the other wall so hard she could see stars. Already on her, Vlad didn't even allow her to drop back to the floor, his massive hand was already locked around her head, holding her up. Before she could even mutter a syllable, her face once against got to meet the stone cold wall. Smashed against it, her nose shattered on impact, spurting blood out the cruel man brought her back again. Collecting her senses again, smashed her vectors directly behind her, throwing Vladimir off and then sending him straight back to the front of the room again, his large body landing just upon the steps.

* * *

><p>Stepping back out again, she stood her ground while Vladimir got back up, blood flowing down his lips. Just like before, the same perverse grin was set on his face as if he was honestly enjoying it all. It pissed her off so much to see that look, knowing all the pain he caused and just have that look on his face. If he wasn't going to show remorse the very least he could do is get rid of that fucking grin! She tensed up when Vlad pulled out his pistol, confident she could stop the bullet but not wanting to make any rash decisions yet. But when Vlad pointed the gun at Yin, her fury nearly went into overdrive. She moved just before he could pull the trigger, and when it finally fired, her hand caught the bullet, watching it spin and slow before dropping it. She had been pissed before, entirely pissed off, but she managed to at least keep a little of her calm. Now though, anything remotely similar to calmness was shattered.<p>

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" How dare he try to kill Yin! How dare he stoop so low! With such an unforgivable act she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep herself from just slicing his head off of his shoulders. The next clash once again resounded throughout the room, Alya violently pushing against Vladimir's rod. "How dare you…how fucking dare you…" He of course gave her an exasperated look as if wondering why she was so upset about something so trivial. "What's the problem Alya? I am Vladimir Cents, The Incorrigible; things like fairness and good sportsmanship do not apply to me." Swing his weapon back, he forced off of him, taking his pistol out again and this time firing at her. She deflected them all, throwing each bit of ammo out of her way like an annoying fly. Striking again, their attacks clashed, blue lighting the area where the hand touched the metal rod before both combatants slid back and caught their balance.

Anger!

She was so angry!

They were both so angry!

Once again, they simultaneously moved and as before their attacks collided at the exact same time, blowing the wall into pieces. Then at last she snapped, her eyes turned into the insane doted look that she got when she finally went over the edge. *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* No mercy, no stopping, her inhuman fists collided with Vladimir's body. Against his face, against his neck, against his chest, against his arms, against his legs, every part of him was bashed repeatedly before the girl turned and got right behind the dark man. This time however Vlad got his act together, pulling out his second rod he didn't bother to turn around and attack. Instead he took his own weapon and jabbed it through his gut, out of his back and right through Alya's own side.

"Gah!"

Pulling it back out, he swung around and sliced across the girl's chest, the serrated edge cutting deeply into her flesh. The pain only increased her anger, she lost her balance for only a split second, placing her vector on the ground to keep her steady before launching another relentless assault upon him. *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* Each blow may have broken the bones of a very strong man, but against Vladimir it only seemed to bruise him. Yet if the spitting of his own blood against her face was any indication, than she had to be doing some sort damage to him right? A promise to Miriana, and to herself kept her from launching any lethal blows against him even though she wanted to kill him so badly. Her inner instincts were practically screaming for his brutal murder! The final hand swung back and with one single blow she smashed Vlad straight across the room again, purely enjoying the sound of his body hitting the walls harshly.

Staggering back, the First Cent clutched the wall with his left hand, feeling his legs shake uncontrollably before he wiped the blood from his lips. He still had the nerve to smile, in fact it was even more heinous than before, and so heinous that Alya slashed the wall across of her to release some of her anger at the very moment. He was wounded more, more bloody, more strikes against his body but it was as if it was just a minor setback. She was sure that at least two or three of ribs must be broken but even with his painful gasps, he never faltered in the bit.

"…Haa…Haa…Haa…how long will you keep this up? Haa…Haa…Haa…how long will you keep trying to act like you can just ignore your own instincts? At the end of this fight, one of us will die…will it be you…or me? Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Don't you get it? Has it not become clear yet Elrya Alya? No matter how hard you try, no matter how much want to ignore it, in the end you'll have to wake up from your silly little dreams."

"I thought I told you to shut up…" Elrya hissed, letting Alya relax a bit in her mind.

Vladimir placed his hand on his neck, cracking the bones a bit to get it relaxed while still holding his blood soaked rod. Facing each other, their bodies move again in unison before the multitude of blows flashed. Blocked, a blast of blue light radiating from the impact! Elrya tried to attack from two sides this time, her right blow blocked as well but the second one bashing hard into the man's side. She could feel as her hand compressed into it the sound of bones cracking and her anger grew, even pushing it in more and more. Vlad actually looked ecstatic, perhaps finally she had given up on that useless ideals of hers and was going to change. But she stopped herself, she didn't cut through him as she desperately wished but slammed him back into the ground.

"I won't do it…" She growled. "I won't give you that satisfaction!"

Once again distanced, Elrya let Alya take control again, needing rest for herself. This time Vlad moved his body forward slightly, raising his left hand putting it directly in front of his face with his right arm brought back and the fist tightly closed. "…Although I find that morality issue of yours idiotic…I must admit this has been quite nice.

…Let's kick it up a notch…"

* * *

><p>Vladimir Cents made the first move, running at the girl with a loud roar and his blood rod held aloft. Fine then, if he wanted to come at her then so be it, she'd beat him into the ground until he never got up again. He came closer, closer to her hands, closer to the outstretched fingers ready to tear him apart! Then with but a single quick moment, he dodged the first hand, completely avoiding it without concern. It didn't matter, she had gotten used to his insane tactics long ago. But as the next vector swarmed from behind, Vlad twisted his body around, his left foot rising and swung horizontally. His own foot smashed into the vector and even more amazingly actually blew the hand back as if it had been hit by a bullet. His body spun, the kicking leg slamming back to the ground and pushing some dust into the air before launching right back at the girl with the insane gaze in his eyes. Every attack is avoided, as if he knows her move before she even does them. To her heart, he's going to pierce her heart! Closer! Closer!<p>

CLOSER!

"AAAAAGH!" Screams split the dawn, swarms of hands blowing into Vlad's body like cannonballs. Blown away by the assault, he once again finds himself flat on his back, body twitching every few moments. The young Diclonius was livid, even more hands circling around her body but she was also burning intensely on the inside. At least 30 hands were now flailing around wildly but to have so much energy output was making her entropy rise too high for her own good. "Alya…how are you doing?" Elrya thought to her friend.

"…Urgh…I…I…can do it. Don't worry…"

But her friend was worried, Alya's body was shaking uncontrollably with her new found powers. "Let me take control again Alya, rest up." Elrya quickly said, popping up to the front of her mind and nearly doubling over. Some of her vectors vanished due to the change but she was still holding more hands than she had been able to hold before. The young girl couldn't help but shiver when saw Vlad's body twitch and turn before he slowly, with blood spewing from his mouth too, getting up and holding his rod tightly. How much more was he going to take? How much more could his body handle? Their slashes across his chest, his ribs were broken and his body shaking, but he stood as if none of that mattered. Even if he had more wounds, even if there was more blood from him on the ground than her, he kept on coming at her with no intent of stopping. What was he? Inhuman?

"I wonder how long…" Vlad began. "…You'll be able to keep this up? The more you try to keep yourself from commenting to my murder…the worst it'll be for you. I won't stop…I will never stop until I finally cease to breathe. I'll keep coming, no matter what happens, I'll never stop.

…Keh…Keh…Keh…

…how long will you last? How long will your energy last? How long will you be able to stand with that foolish dream of yours? This is life Elrya Alya, you can't just ignore it."

"Shut up!"

"THEN KILL ME!" Vlad roared, spreading his arms out wide to propose the challenge. "If you hate me so much then come and kill me! Don't you get it now, I am a terrible being, no love, no hope, no compassion. Three is no place but Hell for a soulless bastard like me! Yet you constantly try to believe that stupid moral now, as if you can just win a fight without killing! The world doesn't work that way and you know it yourself, you can't just ignore what your instincts are! But whatever…that ignorant outlook on life is what your known for my dear, so let's just see whose right in the end. Will I kill you…or will you finally realize the folly of your thinking?"

"…I thought I told you…to shut the fuck up."

Getting ready, the two battlers prepared for the next assault.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: And thus the final battle between ElryaAly and Vladimir Cents commences. What will happen in the next chapter of "Pinpoint Lifeline?"

The majority of this arc and the chapters will also be focusing on the fight as well. Also, Thanks to all the people who have been reading the story especially this far in it.

R&R


	61. Limits II

**Chapter 60: Limits II**

Miriana starred hopelessly at Vladimir and her best friend, both of them breathing heavily but both having entirely different looks on their faces. Elrya's body was a little more composed though still wounded compare to Vlad's body which suffered from multiple broken bones and torn ligaments but his face displayed nothing of the sort of pain he should be feeling. He was enjoying this, this pain soaking through every pore in his body. She concentrated, keeping her head up and doing her best to ignore that burning intense pain inside of her gut. She may not know what entropy was but she did know that if she overused her power, nothing good would come out it. Yet everything she threw at Vladimir just pushed him down but never completely.

"…Your move."

Like hell she needed him to say anything, by the time he even opened his mouth she rushed forward in a blind fit of rage. Cold eyes snapping open, he rapidly turned, raising his right leg just as she passed him before slamming his foot right against her neck! It hurt; a full force blow from a kick by a man such as him would never be good. As if in slow motion his blow lifted her off of her own feet, dragged her forward and sent her careening into the broken stair case. Hurt! She had to hurt him! She needed to hurt him! All the things he did to Miriana! All the things he did to everyone I the world! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! What came out of her mouth couldn't be described as a scream, screams represented anger but what came out of her mouth was beyond anger. There was no description suitable for the blood curdling scream that came from her mouth.

*BAM!*

Her hand ground so hard into Vlad's gut it even bulged out from his back. Whatever his innards were made of now didn't make a bit of different to him. What would've knocked a person clear out only made him stagger before his hand grasped the collar of her shirt. One good look at his insane eyes before his fist bashed harshly into her face. "Oragh!" her mouth filled with blood though it was hard to tell if that was because of the punch or the overuse of her entropy. He brought his fist back again, fingers tightening so that blood leaked from the fingers then hit her again. *BASH!* A blow so hard it sent her back into wall where she slid down limply, coughing and hacking all the while. Vladimir Cents walked casually over to her fallen form, his heinous grin making her sick. The vector slid out, slamming into his cheek and pushing him back but this time it didn't' throw him into air as it had before. She tried to push more, but the only thing that happened was Vladimir keeping his balance, not even moving anymore.

"…Didn't I tell you Elrya Alya-chan, this foolish morality of not killing anyone doesn't work with me? If you aren't going to take this fight seriously then I see no reason to be serious either."

"…You…BASTARD!"

*Whoosh* A moment of shock as Vlad again ducked, avoiding her attacking before his fist found the soft flesh of her belly. The air was knocked clean out of her lungs as she doubled over from the pain, her head falling limply in front of her. "Elrya!" Miriana couldn't take it; neither could Yin who wisely stood at the back. The multi-color haired girl shook her head, unable to take what she was seeing. "You don't have to do this for me…I don't want you to kill but I don't want you to die either! Elrya! Alya! Please don't die! I don't care…"

Vlad brought his fist back again, this time he might punch her so hard her head would fly off.

"Elrya please! Kill him! Kill him please; I don't want to lose you!"

She had said it; the person who hated killing actually said it! This time nothing could stop her, she this close and her hand was already coming forth to end his life. Vlad couldn't' stop it, he had no way to defend himself and such his eyes widen with glorious happiness. He was about to die! He was finally going to die a brutal and horrible death as he always wanted and deserved! The inglorious feeling of pain would come, by god he hope she struck a place where he didn't die instantly, he wanted to suffer as much as he could. Break his heart, leave him to choke on his own blood! Slice half of his neck open so that he gargled on his own spit! Anything would do, anything at all and that time had finally come!

*SLISH!*

The blood rushed out from both sides, his eyes starring with rapturous glee at the feeling of total annihilation. But something was wrong to him, his bod hurt but that was only because of his wounds, he didn't feel like death was coming to greet him. It took him a moment to realize it but Elrya hadn't struck him critically as he had thought. Instead at the last second her hand pierced through his left shoulder and through, hovering their ominously. "Miriana…" Elrya whispered coldly her deadly stare still upon Vlad's both surprised and disappointed face. "…You are my best friend along with Alya, and I know the real Miriana would never say such a thing."

"huh? What do you mean Elrya?"

"…I made a promise that I would save you…and that I would stop killing, both of us made that promise. I will never give you that satisfaction Vladimir! If I kill you then it'll only mean you got what you wanted and I would lose that promise! But I swore I would make you pay! I" She slashed upwards, creating a massive wound his shoulder where the bone and sinews of flesh could easily be seen. "I made a promise to stop you!" Her fingers took his left hand, crushing the bones inside. "…I made a promise to break you!" He felt another hand slide into right and left arm.

"…It's over…Vladimir Cents…"

***CRAAAACK!***

Both arms were snapped in opposite directions, the sound of the bones splintering in her wake. With but one final move she raised her hand, face as livid as before and smacked Vlad right back to the ground face first where his body shuddered.

"Agh…urgh…kah!" Blood dripped slowly from his mouth and at points he even puked it straight out. His arms we're sprawled out at obscene angles, the fingers of his left hand dislodged and facing in opposite directions. His left shoulder was torn open, just as much blood soaking the ground. He twitched and shuddered again, gargling blood inside of his mouth and letting it seep out slowly. The only thing he saw when he managed to see after he got his head turned around was a very pissed off young Diclonius named Elrya Alya. "Urgh…Gaah! Haa…Haa…Haa…" her lips pressed together tightly, bring out two of her hands she once again slid them into Vlad's arms, her hate filled stare never leaving. She made a promise not to kill and that was hard enough as it was, especially for Alya who was the personification of murder for her. But she had held her murderous intent back but that didn't mean Vlad was going to get off easy. Oh no, this much damage to him, for somebody who she wasn't going to kill, it needed to be worse.

***CRAAAAACK!* *CRAAAAACK! *CRAAAACK!***

Hate in very single piece of bone that was pressed into dust!

Hate in very single flesh that was torn up!

Hate in every nerve that she managed to snap!

When she was done, Vlad's was left spluttering on his own blood and his arms mere memories of what they once were. It bled through his onyx coat and his eyes set upon the wide stare of unimaginable pain. "Ugah..haa…haa…agh…" There would never be any pity for him. Watching him suffer right there but to never die, she had no pity whatsoever. "I guess you should feel lucky though Vlad…" She muttered cruelly and with disdain. "…You get to suffer right there without pause, I even went and destroyed your nerves. All that pain must be excruciating, isn't that what you wanted?"

"…Agh…Kya…kaah!" The look he gave her was just pitiful, a single eye starring through as extensively as it could to the point where the veins were seen. He laid on the ground with his face against the stone cold floor, still feeling the taste of blood in his mouth. "Haa…Haa…ah! It hurts…"

"Of course it does…." She muttered.

"…It hurts…" He repeated again. "My body…it hurts…so much. Why won't it stop? This pain that is spreading throughout my entire body. It hurts…it hurts…gah! Ah! Gaoh! Hurts so much!"

What more did she have to say to him. Let him stay there and suffer for the rest of his life like he always wanted. Right now Miriana needed her and she needed look at something innocent after fighting such a heartless monster. "Stay there and suffer for all eternity Vladimir, it's what you desired so it's what I gave you."

"…Kah! Haa…Haa…Haa…

…

…Not enough…"

At that very moment, Elrya Alya felt something that was beyond fear or understanding. She was not afraid of Vladimir, but what she saw went beyond her comprehension. "Not enough…" At the second word Vlad's broken right arm lifted up, to mere fact that he was moving it was impossible. It raised up at a terrible angle, the front arm bent away from his body before he placed it back on the ground again. What sort of man was he, can he be called a man, as his hand, which with its broken fingers? They grip the stone floor and beyond the impossible he slowly begins to lift himself up. She isn't sure what she's looking at anymore, surely Vladimir had some good endurance but this, what sort of man can have both of his arms all but completely destroyed and still use them to lift himself up? His body struggled, his eyes still starring widely as his legs moved up. Every single crack of his broken body could be heard.

*CRACK!* He snapped his arms back into place but even then, that didn't stop his other wounds, so why? Why was he standing? How could he be standing? How could he move? What unbelieving force drove him to continue despite all of the wounds she gave him? "…Not enough! Not enough! It's not enough!" What was once a look of almost horror on his face was replaced by an ever growing smile that spread from cheek to cheek. A demented look of insanity on his face as his right hand gripped the black rod of death. What was he, this inhumane bastard who could ignore what was obviously the most intense pain running through his body. It wasn't just his bones that were broken, his arms, both his ligaments and his nerves had been sliced open. He should be feeling unbelieving agony right now and yet, he was still able to push himself up and finally stand with his head hanging limply.

"What…the hell are you?"

At such a question Vlad only smiled at her before speaking. "What do you believe I am? I am incorrigible."

Then again he launched himself at her, taking his rod he raised it behind him as his feet moved forward in massive strides! A ferocious attack radiated then the familiar sight of blue found its way into the world again. The attack clashed with Alya's vectors this time, doing the impossible and actually pushing her back despite the fact that he shouldn't even be able to lift his arms up in the first place. Unable to time her reaction quickly enough, Alya was flung back just before her face once again got to meet the sole end of Vladimir's foot.

*BAM!*

How many times had she been hit in the nose? She wondered if she would even have one after the end of this hellish battle. There was some sort movement from Vladimir going in front of her but her vision was so blurry she couldn't even make it out.

*BAM!*

Another kick and this time it smashed her straight through the other door that lead to the next hallway inside the citadel. "Come on, get your act together!" She though heavily, jumping to her feet and going through the second door in the hallway. Vladimir himself finally went through the hallway, his massive boots tramping the splintered wood below his feet. Those insane eyes glanced around until his tongue licked his bottom lip when he saw the opened door.

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: The next chapter quickly completely, got it out fast. It's a little shorter than the others, only 2,000 words but that shouldn't keep it from being anymore epic. The battle between ElryaAlya and Vladimir Cents continues and it's gotten even rougher.


	62. Breaking The Limit

**Chapter 61: Breaking The Limit**

She just flew through the first door she saw, hardly thinking, hardly able to even understand what was going on anymore. Hate and confusion swarmed inside of her brain so much that she felt mentally sick now. The room she entered was a vast multilayered place with many walls, mirrors and objects sprawled out lazily upon the floor. Without wasting another second, she quickly went to a hidden place, not form fear but to attack Vladimir when he least expected it.

Just in time too, Vladimir stepped inside of the vast chamber, the blood from his arms dripping disgustingly onto the floor. "Elrya, are you in here?" He called out, his eyes searching the place before stepping in more. "Are we going to play cat and mouse here? Are you perhaps getting tired of this fight and want it to end? I would be more than glad to kill you Elrya, the same for you Alya, if it's too much just come out and I'll kill you. Then I will kill that little girl and the man you came with also. I may even decapitate them and put their heads on pikes."

The young girl ignored it, she had to remain calm and let him come to her. She could see him in one of the mirrors as her body hung behind a single wall, trying her best to keep her breathing low. He was right there in the middle of the room, his eyes still searching for her location. "Come here you bastard...I'll make sure to rip out your damn tongue this time." She thought harshly, placing a hand on the small hole in her chest. He was still standing in the center of the room, turning his head around and of course he still had the gall to keep yapping his trap. "Where are you my precious little Diclonius? Please come out, it's only been a few minutes since we started our fight, let's not waste it with petty hide and go seek." God she wanted to shut up so badly, just the sound of his voice was driving her mad. Fortunately she kept herself calm, at least enough to stop her from screaming shrilly. He would come to her and when he did, oh the amount of brutality she had in store couldn't even be explained.

Vladimir took another few strides before stopping near the wall where Elrya hid behind. "That's right you son of a bitch, come here!" She thought again as angrily as possible. A few more steps, just right at the edge of the wall and then she'd…" She stopped thinking altogether, her mind now registering something odd. Through the wall, mere centimeters by her face a black rod and pierced through, even cutting into a little bit of her face. Her breathing momentarily stopped while Vlad continued to talk ins his ungrateful tone. "Once again my dear if you really to end this, I will be glad to kill you. Fights like these are always the most boring. If you want to die right now, please just stay there, you'll head will get blown off in a second…

…Detonate!"

*BOOM!*

She knew those words well enough now and this time she was prepared. The moment he uttered the first syllable, she flung herself forward, her blast scorching her dress and back but leaving her relatively unharmed. The last part unfortunately didn't last very long because once she appeared, Vlad was on her like a disease, his fist flying right against her face. Struck again, the force was enough to knock her straight on her back yet this time, she got up almost immediately, kicking off with her vectors and landing lithely back upon her feet. With the next fist aimed at her again, this time she was prepared to act. Disbelief sped across Vlad's face as his punch completely missed, his eyes only just following the young girl who gracefully soared into the air and landed behind him. There Elrya formed her vector, and struck at his back with full intention to break his spine. Instead, Vlad countered in an instant, his rod flaring behind him and blocking the assault. Something portentous clicked leaving the poor thing just enough time to register that Vladimir's gun was directly against her heart. She didn't even have time to blink before he shot her.

*BANG!*

Yet again disbelief hit Vladimir when Elrya flew back again and then caught her balance again, the bullet in her chest slowly being pushed out until it dropped clumsily onto the floor. "Urgah! Kah! Th-Thanks Alya…" Elrya muttered, panting heavily and spitting on the ground before turning back to the twisted man of lies. "You're wrong Vladimir Cents, I won't give up and I will stop you. No matter what, I will make sure that I completely break you."

"…Is that so my dear? Well then, let us see how well those words hold up as you keep trying to believe in that self-deluded dream of yours. She tensed up again, watching as Vladimir pulled from his body the last rod that was inserted into it. It was different from the others, while pitch black, the very tip was unnaturally red, not because of blood though that certainly covered it, but of a small gem located at the very tip. He brought it up and gave one single flick of the wrist. The rod firstly thickened by a good 2 inches before suddenly elongating outwards until it reached a good 2 meters in length. At both ends, the tips expanded and slid inwards until Vladimir was finally holding the equivalent of a double sided spear. The crazy weapon spun in his fingertips, momentarily leaving his hand and falling in midair before catching it again and holding it aloft. The gleam of its jewel encrusted tip cast a gloomy red light in the dark room and the black spear tip somehow managed to amplify that horribleness.

"The Spear of Azıklı Voyvoda…" He said aloud. Whatever words that needed to be spoken, there was no longer any time for it.

* * *

><p>Yin stood at the very right side of the front door gate, his heart twisting as heard loud crashes and noises inside the citadel, obviously that of his girl and Vladimir's fight. The butlers that were there had not moved from their spots by each side of Vlad's chair except to slightly stretch their legs and arms but kept their emotionless eyes straight upon the black haired man. Yin honestly contemplating bringing out his gun and shooting them then attempting to save Miriana, but he feared that one of them might have a weapon on them as well. "Miriana?"<p>

"Y-Yin…I'm scared…" The young girl sobbed, still hanging like some sort of ornament from the ceiling. She too could hear the fighting going around in the citadel and just like Yin; it too tore at her heard. How weak was she to give up her very ideals and yet Elrya Alya was still clinging onto them for her own sake? She had to be strong, for the people trying to protect and save her. She had to be strong, just like her best friend.

"I know Miriana, don't worry we will save you, that's a promise." Yin answered back soothingly.

* * *

><p>Alya had to take the lead again as Vladimir issued a vicious assault against her. The Spear of Azıklı Voyvoda clashed against her vectors again and again, without pause or relenting. He lunged again, the red tip stabbing into her ghostly hand and blowing it back. He turned, the weapon spinning in the palm of his hands until the black tip burst into the vector coming from behind him. Every time the red gem encrusted blade hit, an explosion of flaming sparks would erupt from it. Every time the black tip made contact with something, a burst of black shadows would break away from it. He kept up the offensive, stabbing again and again in her direction. Aiming for the heart, the lungs, the liver, all the organs that he wished to reach. It was becoming too much for Alya to bare.<p>

Alya had more vectors and length compared to Elrya. However, due to this fact she also couldn't handle the high amount of entropy in her body as well as Elrya. To compensate for this, the two had learned to act as partners to each other's powers, Alya would act as the offensive and Elrya would be the defensive and back up support so that whenever Alya needed to rest, Elrya could quickly take charge and vice versa. This had worked out well in the beginning of the fight because while weaker, Elrya was still powerful enough to handle Vladimir own her own. With his new weapon and apparent ability to ignore the most painful of wounds, she could no longer stand up to him as well as she did. Alya was able to at least defend herself from the onslaught. The rush of wind came again as the spear spun and then the clash of improbable metal and vector met again in a shower red sparks. They pushed against each other, her rage spreading and his wicked smile spreading.

"Is it difficult now Alya? Having a little hard time are we now? Do you really think an instinct like yourself, born to slaughter us humans could so easily ignore that calling? "

"…I know that…" Alya growled deeply. "…I know what I am, but that doesn't mean I have to obey it. Killing you would everything better and I want to do it so much! Yet…if I do that, if I killed you, it would only satisfy your desires! Until you cease to stand, I will keep beating you down."

*SLASH!*

Out the blue her hand cut across his midsection, blood flying into her face before her scream echoed inside the room. The First Cent felt the unnatural ghostly fist ram into his stomach, forcing him down upon his knees while Alya spat her distaste for him. "On your knees again huh Vladimir Cents? You know what? It isn't enough."

*BAM!*

Struck again, the next hand smashed his body downwards, the impact forcing his body to create a small crater in the floor. Yet certain he'd get up again, she had to keep beating him down, again and again until he never got back up! The next blow didn't reach him; he flipped to the side, the floor cracking from the vector punching through it before jumping back to his feet, holding his spear aloft and gripping his mutilated fingers around the center of the pole. They spun around at the same time and once again vector and blade met and ended in a shower of blackness that momentarily turned everything dark. Vladimir fell back again from the attack to his face, slicing up a huge line from bottom of his chin to the top of his nose, his lip busted on impact. When the next hand raced toward his bloody figure, he prepared himself then lunged with his mouth held wide.

*CHOMP!*

Inhumanly as always, his teeth slid into what was not even physical before jerking his neck and tearing the hand right off its elongated stump. Flying backwards, Alya made sure to put as much distance as she could between her and the man then, her broken vector disappearing and then reemerging with a new hand attached to it. Even so, she could taste blood in her mouth and the feeling as if her organs were on fire. Smacking his lips obscenely before passing his tongue in a circle around his maw, Vlad swallowed deeply, then burst into a fit of insane cackling. "Kyahahahaha! Heh! Heh! Heh! Ku! Ku! Ku! Ku! How far will you go? How much longer can you keep this up? Ku! Ku! Ku! Ku! It won't end until I cease to breathe, it will never end until I am ended. I can see it in your eyes, that lovely look of hate for me, utilize it! You have the power to murder me yet you stubbornly refuse to do so.

So keep trying my dear…

Keep trying to believe in those foolish dreams of yours, but life doesn't work that way. I already told you that at the end one of will be dead. There will be no in between in this fight!"

*BASH!*

Unable to listen to any more of his bullshit, she tried again to attack him, her hands blocked and blown away in a flurry of metallic ricochets. The two combatants knelt forward then confronted each other's blows straightforwardly, spear straight, hand straight. Showers of red and black rained all around them, turning the room into a blackened crisp. He kept avoiding her hands or blocking them but even then whenever she got a hit in, it didn't matter. Fine then, if tearing him down didn't work, then she would just need to aim for one single part with just one brutal attack. She'd shatter his spine the moment that she got a chance, break him down and paralyze him. There was only so much that the human body could handle and even she knew that breaking the spinal cord would destroy Vlad in an instant.

*BANG!*

Her hands stopped the first bullet, watching it hover in the air for a second until dropped back onto the floor. He gave her a fleeting look, then fired again and again. *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* it wasn't the bullets that were making the fights difficult, it was the overwhelming pressure that he was putting on her. "Alya! You can't last much longer, let me take control and rest up!" Elrya thought hastily to her friend.

"You can't…I'm sorry but right now you can't handle his attacks." Alya replied just as hastily too, still deflecting the ammo.

"I know but your body, if this keeps up you'll die!"

Elrya had a point there and she couldn't die. "F-Fine then, but be careful and once I collect myself I'll taking the lead again." With a gasp of breath, Elrya took charge, many of the vectors vanishing on the spot but her body also cooling down. It was the exact moment the hellish man had been waiting for. Elrya couldn't take the pressure of Azıklı Voyvoda and no words could be uttered until her back blasted through the door and outside into the corridor again. She was now only dimly aware that something had hit her a second time and through the haze it became apparent that Vlad's foot had just smashed into her face. Hitting the wall a second time, her spittle of blood splashed on The First Cents face where his tongue slowly lapped it up. She barely had time to avoid the incoming spear, the red tip blowing red sparks into her face as her head moved to avoid it. It clashed against the stone wall, lodged into it and then he swung his arm out to the side. Elrya ducked, hearing the sound of tones being broken into pieces and the burst of insane power as the spear sliced through. Stands of her hair air fell from her face where the weapon had cut then jumped back again to get the distance.

"Alya? H-How are you coming along?"

"…Ah! I need a little more time!"

In his Spear-less hand, four orbs appeared between Cents' fingers which, with a flick of his wrist elongated into thin like rods that he had used to murder Orlana with. He reared back and chucked the four rods with amazing accuracy. No way was she going to be struck again, her back against another door, she brought her hands out and put them in front of her of her.

"DETONATE!"

"Shi…!"

*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*

Four simultaneous explosions engulfed her, blowing her straight through the door and upon the stone steps that lead to whatever place she could imagine in this hell hole. Hardly able to get a true look at her surroundings, Vladimir was already launching another horrendous assault against her. She managed to jump back and avoid the black tip of death, the man of evil forcing her up the stairs. Higher and higher they went, sometimes the Diclonius jumping up several flights while Vlad took chase. Stabbing repeatedly, red and black go for her body, aiming to kill as she refuses to do so! Pressure! Pressure! Pressure! Pressure! How long can she last against him? How long can she keep up this fight against something that is more monster than man? Higher and higher she rises, the stone steps forming into a circular pattern as they rose up to the top of the citadel.

*SLASH!*

*SLISH!*

*BAM!*

The explosion of energy.

*SLASH!*

*SLISH!*

*BOOM!*

Counter of the strikes from each other, they continuously rose up while chaotic energy danced around in their wake. Upward! Upward! Upward! Sometimes she was able to land a few powerful blows upon him, at one point shattering two of his ribs but pain was nothing to him! Upward! Upward! Upward! To the very top the citadel they fought, shattering of stone blowing around them as the stairs crumbled under the intensity of their battle. Gunshots! Gunshots! Gunshot! Blasting apart the stone Elrya could feel the stench of burning flesh and gored bits of skin. In that hellish battle with the most undesirable, her body felt as if it could go on no longer. Higher and higher they went, flashes of destruction blaring brightly and blindly, there was no words of description. What was happening now cannot even be called a battle anymore, it was only the chaos built upon rage and desires, unstoppable and unforgiving. Shatter! Break! Tear! Mutilate! His flesh rips from his body but he never stops as if his own brain is constantly keeping him moving despite such horrible wounds.

Up!

Up!

Until the flash of sunlight hit her eyes.

* * *

><p>Grey skies above her, the cold and heavy wind blew her hair and dress wildly around her. She couldn't tell how high they were up but judging from the thin clouds, it had to be amazing high up. Vladimir stepped through the broken door way, spinning Azıklı Voyvoda majestically and stabbing the red tip into the floor. "These skies make great for a fanatical end wouldn't you say my dear? Perhaps after you've torn out my heart, you'll throw my body off from here and let it splatter like spilt paint all over the ground. Of course that won't happen if you keep up this silly idea of yours, honestly I'm not sure what's gotten into you. You were once known for being vicious, on the same level as me in fact, but I don't even see it anymore."<p>

Alya didn't even bother talking to him, he'd just piss her off more. Instead she began talking to Elrya, desperate to think of a plan to beat him. "Gah! My body is starting to burn again, even after resting a bit. Elrya, I'm not sure how long I can last again."

"I-I'm trying to think of something…I've got…a little idea, but it's pretty crazy…"

*BASH!*

"You need to pay attention." Vlad yelled joyfully, upper cutting the poor girl straight into the air and then grabbing her by the ankle. "You don't have time to dream!" He threw her down, a few of her left fingers snapping as they hit the stones but a trifling matter at any case. The young Diclonius spat up her blood then used her vectors to push herself back up, her arms hanging limply at her side. Vladimir meanwhile cracked his own broken fingers needlessly, the sound sickening her and his perpetual grin doing nothing to help her. "You do realize that it'll be pretty bad if you die. Come on now, I'm actually willing to let you kill me!"

"…Kah! Then how you just stand there and I'll break your fucking spine you low scum piece of shit!"

"No…No…No. I can't allow that, if you want this fight to end on your side you have to kill me, but I won't make it easy." Vladimir replied heartily, raising his spear so that the gem encrusted point began to shine brightly. She could feel an enormous amount of energy pouring from it, perhaps a build up for a single massive attack. "That idea you have Elrya…what is it…?"

"…Well it's…"

"STILL DREAMING ARE WE!" Vladimir screeched, his feet kicking off as he raced towards the Diclonius.

"All or nothing then…Let's do it…Elrya!"

*CLASH!*

* * *

><p>Red as thick as blood, a crimson shade of eternal obliteration that filled the world up. The only color possible was red, thick, profane red that represented the true brutality of such a fight. As the flash ended, what came next was ear splitting boom of an explosion, like thunder and fire mixed together. Lastly wind, a hurricane like blow that threw stones and rubble off of the top of the citadel and even pushing Vlad a few centimeters back as well. Smoke covered the top of the tower, black smog of the most heinous sort.<p>

"Ah?" Vlad muttered in surprise, watching as the smoke finally clear and seeing the young girl clutching his spear with a good 4 of her vectors, holding it tightly as even more flew from behind her. 30. 40. No, right now, at the very moment a vast total of 80 hands were now floating behind her, reaching to a length that might have been close to 30 meters. She passed through above and behind Vladimir, effectively creating a ring of vectors of which there was no escape. With his face still simply puzzled of what was before him, she took his spear and snapped it cleanly in half. Apparently still in shock, he didn't even pay attention as the other end of his spear was snapped off as well and then at last the young girl took the next pitiless strides towards him.

"Eh…what happened?"

"…Nothing happened…" The girl said darkly. "...I am Elrya Alya."

"…Oh? Isn't that who you were before?" Vlad asked.

"I don't think you understand…I am Elrya Alya. Not one, not the other, but together. I am Elrya Alya! We are Elrya Alya. I'm going to save Miriana, you are in the way!"

"Oh?"

*BASH!*

Elrya could take more pressure from the increase of entropy, Alya had more vectors and strength. Together they had combined their mentalities into one, a single person stronger than either of them separate. It wasn't impossible, they were the same people after all. They may have shared different thoughts but they were in the end, the exact same person. To say the minds had fused was incorrect, it was merely the minds working together. To say it was strange was an understatement but, because they were one, it somehow got easier. This time there would be nothing to stop her and the first thing she did was make sure Vlad's face to feel the coldness of the stone floor.

On all fours now, Vlad looked once again pathetic while his assailant glared from above. Like snakes about to strike, her vectors rose up to the skies, their powers reaching a level that she had never imagined before and thanks to the combination of their wavelengths, the burning sensation that had once plagued her felt like a distant memory. This was her power, her ability, her unique attribute. Nothing was going to stop her from saving Miriana and certainly not some psychopath like Vladimir! The blonde haired man barely got to raise his eyes in horror before his body was hit by the force of a speeding truck. Forcing into his flesh, the vector didn't just smashed him back down, they sent him straight down. Stone barriers meant nothing, he went through like it was nothing. In midair he fell, blood and pieces of his torn clothes flying above him until he saw the girl soaring at him with her vectors.

!

*BASH!*

Straight in the face!

*BASH!*

Straight in the chest*

*BASH!*

Straight in the gut!

Each blow was horrendously painful and yet impossible for a man like him to die from! He could feel his eyes popping from every single hit that struck his flesh. Spit and blood was becoming all too common in his mouth as he dropped like a rock with the girl beating him mercilessly. At last his body made impact with part of the broken stair cases of the lower floors, tumbling down and stopping with his breath coming out in gasps. "Agh! Kah! Huh?" Caught at a bad angle, the only thing the horrible man of wickedness could do is have his eyes travel around before something yanked him from behind and threw him harshly down the steps again.

Down!

Down!

Down!

She beats him, tears him, cuts him, whenever he managed to counterattack, she easily defeats whatever he has to offer. It wasn't long until they arrived at the very familiar front room of the main section for the citadel. "El..Al…" Miriana began, looking at the Diclonius and momentarily stumped. "Wh-Who are you?"

"It's me Miriana…" Elrya Alya said sternly, her deadly gaze still on the fallen man who lay in a heap near the broken door. Elrya and Alya both had unique characteristics that made it possible to distinguish who was who whenever one was in control. Together their personalities merged, combining both aspects of each person. At last Miriana finally understood as did Yin who looked at his girl with a completely stunned and respected look. One of her vectors slipped up, quickly cutting the rope holding the young girl aloft and then gently bringing her down. Miriana stumbled a bit, moaning as weight was put on her foot.

"Yin…take care of Miriana for me please."

"Of course!" Nodding at her, Yin tried to meet her before the six butlers suddenly blocked his path. Indescribable rage filled the Diclonius' double mind at these actions. Miriana was hurt and in more ways than one, how dare they get in the way. Each one of them was knocked down by a corporeal hand and each one felt their knees snap straight in half, making them unable to walk. She kept a cold hard glare at them but it would seem that unlike their master, broken bones would keep them from moving. Speaking of the master, her gaze turned back to the now risen Vladimir Cents, his breathing coming out in ragged gasps again. "…Agh…Kya…Orah!"

*BASH!*

Then with just a singular blow, Vladimir smashed through the remnants of his doorway, slid several meters across the sand and finally stopped on all fours upon the barren wasteland of the outside world. He painfully managed to push himself back up again, eyes starring wildly in front.

"Ack! Ah! Kak!" He coughed heftily, his head bent low while the demonic clouds above quickly passed above them. "Argh! Gah! Gah! Haa…Haa…Haa…my body…how much more? My arms…pain in my arms…ugh! It hurts…it hurts! My fingers are bleeding, my body is bleeding…kah…everything is bleeding. I stand…barely able to move…choking on my own blood! I continue to bleed! But even so…gaaah! B-But even so…as long as I exist…as long as I continue to exist. As long as there is but one breath of air inside of me…

I will never stop…

Heh…Hehehe…Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Elrya Alya…you truly are…a fascinating little girl you know? Guh! Ack! But I won't stop, not until my death is delivered to me, and you stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that. Kugh! Haa…Haa…Aaaguah!" The girl felt disgusted when Vladimir leaned back, tilting his head up to the side and making odd sounds in his throat as if he was choking on something, thought something like that would've been a major improvement. She watched though as he took a couple of steps back, his arms outstretched until he choked up some bloody spittle and the girl tensed up considerably. As if to signify that something dangerous was happening, the cold winds suddenly started to pick up, ominously blowing Vladimir's coat with head still raised up to the sky.

"Haa…Haa…now then…" He started, lowering his head and tilting it to the side so that his opponent could see the twisted smile on his heinous face. "…Let us see…how long that dream of yours last…"

*SNAP!*

Vladimir then snapped the silver coin etched with the number one on it in two with a single bite.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: The battle intensifies and through it all the minds of Elrya and Alya have finally joined together to take Valdimir down. With an amazing increase in power, the young girl has made short work of the brutual King of Deceit. however, Vladimir has finally brought out hte trump card that all members have, the Silver Coin. What will happen next on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p>

R&R


	63. Vermillion Genes

**Chapter 62: Vermillion Genes**

"_Desires._

_Standing upon the bloodstained ground with my body all but completely destroyed, I see her standing there. I desire to create a world of enteral blissful suffering, choking on my own blood just like I am now. This feeling is incredible, with my knees on the ground and my hands in front as if to prostrate myself before her. This feeling of bleeding outward, my flesh peeling off bit by bit is a wonderful sensation. Yet it isn't enough, it will never be enough. It is a great and exhilaration feeling but it will never be enough. How quaint…she is so quaint, her attacks constantly pushing me into the blood soaked earth. I feel her energy radiating through every pore of my mutilated skin, burning the already broken bones that lie within me. My vision is fading in and out; I vomit and choke on my own tortured gore._

_But it isn't enough…_

_It would be one thing if she was merely torturing me, that would be splendid. Unable to even lift a finger to her abilities, she would tear me down bit by bit. Even now I feel like a pathetic insect compare to her, so weak, so very weak. Yet she holds onto that belief of hers, trying to hope that she can ignore reality and keep up in her dreams. This isn't intended as torture, she constantly tries to keep that ill-fated promise, even though it a foolish and childish thing. It hurts, my body blisters and flays away in this cold win in a perpetual dance of agony. _

…_Until I cease to breathe…_

…_I will never stop…"_

* * *

><p>At the bite of the coin, with the two pieces split in half and dropping to the floor, a most unusual sound was emitted. It was a high keen sort of noise, short but unnaturally loud and the young Diclonius jerked her head back from the noise, shaking it slightly. "How annoying loud…" Elrya Alya muttered but kept her guard up. She was confident that she could still beat Vladimir but she also knew these coins were no laughing matter. What sort of powers would he attain now, perhaps some sort of super regeneration? Would he get an incredible boost in physical powers? Maybe he would gain some sort of new and incredibly powerful weapon. Whatever it was, she would beat it and then she would beat him.<p>

Nothing seemed to be happening, the cold wind was still blowing and Vladimir was still on his hands and knees, choking up on his own blood and apparently finding it difficult to get back up again. Good news there, let her beat him down a bit more until he ceased to get up again. She glowered a bit when finally did managed to push himself back up, his head low and dripping blood into the sickly puddle at his feet. "Ka! Ka! Ka! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! How long will you last my dear? How long will you able to keep up this stupid little dream of yours? Gah! Ugh! How long I wonder?"

Before she'd retort back and probably earn herself some wacked out response that would've just pissed her off completely. Instead she opted for a glare of stoicism again before Elrya began talking in the center of the mind. "I hear something strange, like rumbling from thunder." Alya paused to listen, nodding her mental head in agreement and answering back. "Yeah, I hope he doesn't start shooting thunder at us, though with all the shit he's been pulling I guess it wouldn't surprise me so much. Look over there." Elrya Alya titled her head to the side curiously when a small dust cloud began to emerge at the horizon point of the wasteland. The thunderous claps were actually coming from a small band of armored men, racing towards her with weapons not of this century, but older ones like spears, swords and axes. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed as she watched them race towards her from the distance.

"Seriously Vladimir, I guess it is like you to use other people for your own benefit. This won't even stop me for an instant."

"Gah! Heh, how quaint of you to believe that. This is my desires, the desires that have been grafted into these men's hearts from the very beginning. I am incorrigible, destined for damnation and yet they faithfully serve me without end. Why you ask? I have killed their families, murdered their friends and destroyed their futures. Yet continuously they follow me faithfully and without question, because we all strive for one thing, desires. Do you honestly believe you alone could overcome our desires?"

"Let me think about that…" Elrya Alya muttered sarcastically. Myself against a few of your soldiers, sounds pretty simple to me."

"Kahahahaha! How quaint, I do love that confidence, but let us see how well it lasts."

The men were coming closer, about 25 of them perhaps problematic for a weaker Diclonius, but for someone like Elrya Alya, nothing that couldn't be handled. Vladimir at this moment raised his left hand, holding it high into the air with his fingers outstretched.

"**Come now ye scourge of the earth our opponent stands before us!**

**Come now ye faithful dogs to a person finally worth of your arrival!**

**Come now with ye weapons aloft, and cast this girl into true suffering!**

**Come now Elrya Alya and feast your eyes upon…**

**ARMATA LUI DRACUL!"**

With those dreaded words, Vladimir brought his hand down in a single swipe, still displaying his insane grin. Fine then, if he wanted to go this far then so be it. She'd break their legs just as she did those foolish butlers who tried to stop her. But as she ready herself for the pathetic attack, she started to notice something quite peculiar. As the battalion of men came in closer, she noticed that dust was beginning to pick up again from behind. Of course she suspected that a few more were coming, her hunches made correct a small stream of black began to flow from the horizon's edge. Preparing herself, she'd defeat them and Vladimir once and for all. And then her eyes began to widen when the black wave did not stop increase. With thunderous booms of their feet stamping, Elrya Alya gazed out as the dark army approached her, growing ever large from the side. Weapons held in front, their stampede kicking up the hellish winds around them. Closer they came, spreading out like a wave of darkness to smother those who dare to stand in their way.

"Ah…ahhh…what the hell…?" Indeed, plain shock began to cross her features, at the true form of Vladimir's Silver Coin trump car. Her red eyes could not help but shake with impressive fear at that moment upon the true leader's ultimate attack. 20 men would mean nothing to her. 50 men would mean nothing to her. Even 100 men would be nothing more than child's play compare to her and her newly acquired powers. But could she say the same now, watching the pitched black forms continuously grow out from the sides and the back? She stood her ground, even something like this wouldn't scare her off but suddenly, having 80 vectors of 30 meters in length seemed so pathetic now. At last she would gaze upon the true form of "Armata Lui Dracul", the ultimate trump card that King of Deceit Vladimir Cents.

So now they come, passing by their king as they lower their weapons and the single Diclonius girl can't help but shiver. Vladimir himself only raises his head high, his twisted smile ever grow as he disappears behind the black shadows of death and destruction as his men race to slaughter a single girl.

Now Elrya Alya what will you do…

…Against an onslaught of over 100,000?

"FINE THEN!" She shrieked, stamping her foot hard and bringing her vectors out. "If this is how you want to play it Cents then so be it!" Then they hit her, her vectors kicked back as the first spear was snapped cleanly in half by her deadly fingers and then her hands swept out , knocking the first row of soldiers down. Yet the others merely went over them, their own feet tramping their brethren who cried not a single word of pain or regret. Sweat poured from her body as she attacked again and again, lashing out and breaking legs and arms but in the midst of an entire army fully heading into her direction, what more did it matter. They overcame her, weapons too close until she kicked up into the air, floating above in the sky.

"Fire!" Vladimir roared, raising and pointing his fingers to the heavens. Immediately darkness rained form the skies as if a cloud of grime had suddenly formed over the grey. It was only after a moment that Elrya realized that arrows were falling upon her. Arrows, weaker than any bullets should be able to be deflected easily but what happens when so many are launched that they can get past the gaps in her vectors. It isn't about a few hundred black tipped arrows, 200,000 have been shot into the skies before raining down her. Vectors clash against them, knocking them and hardly 2 second have passed before the first one struck her gut. Her shoulder is struck, her arms, she can't handle this pressure and instantly flies back to the ground before racing across the dirty earth. Pulling out the arrows in her body, the next thing that comes her way is the massive army; ever growing again as some of the wounded men have actually picked themselves up again.

How long could she last as they rushed her without stopping? Uncaring for their lives, they only attacked mercilessly. How long could she last until her promise was broken, the very thoughts passing through Vladimir's mind as well. "You can't keep this up forever Elrya Alya, sooner or later you will have to start killing again!" And so it continues, her body swerving in and out of the stream of weapons, sweat pouring from her skin while more vectors emerge from her body. 120 vectors was amazing but still not enough to deal with what is purely a wave of death, its intentions to wipe her away with pure power. Unnatural rage fills her, granting her as a Diclonius more and more power but when her hands reach a level of 150, her entropy can no longer handle it. But there is no stopping the hellish wave, even when she breaks their bones, the rest just trample the fallen and push against her. Her hands can't even hold them back, it hardly stalls them and before a word can be said otherwise, she once is forced to block and avoid spears, swords and axes.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Keep trying foolish dreamer! Keep attempting to believe this false belief! You'll tire out eventually, your entropy will give out eventually, keep dreaming and eventually death will befall you and all of your friends and family!" Vladimir cried out, his right hand raising up and then swinging down again. The Diclonius was once again forced to guard herself from the stream of arrows that flew down on her poor figure. Such an act was made a bit easier with her new vectors although it nothing to stop the burning sensation in her core. Blood was already flowing from her mouth before Vladimir gave the next or to "Armata lui Dracul."

"To the side! To the side!"

They listened, their ranks breaking into two part and surrounding the girl in an arch. She could feel the rush of wind that came as the spears sped through, her feet kicking off with the help of her vectors. But high or low, she could never fully escape the hell that sought so desperately for her. Vladimir was still in the back, even far away she could still see his white smile before another call roared out to his men. "Let none pass you! Gaze upon her, the worthy opponent who believes in dreams! Slaughter!"

How long can she last now, with blood spewing from her body?

How long can she last until that promise is broken?

They continue to stab and slice at her body, only stopping when she fell to her knees and Vladimir personally told them to quit. It was eerily quiet now, just the sound of wind and the very heavy breathing of two particular people who had just came out of the citadel, gasping at the massive army that stood in their way. "Wh-What is that?" Miriana cried, her small and weakened body being held tenderly by Yin. Of course the man has no answer, it's not like has any idea of the powers that Vladimir cents possesses. Speaking of which, the twisted king took his first steps towards her, walking past his faithful men and stomping his foot right by the girl's bowed head.

"Are you still…"

"KAH!" Right there, attack with a strike to his face that instantly blocked by a barrage of spears in front of his head. "D-Damn it…"

"Obedient and faithful aren't they?" Vlad asked rhetorically, snapping his fingers and forcing the girl to fill two blades unexpectedly into her hands, pinning her down. "No matter how many times…"

*BAM!*

She doesn't' even let him finish his sentence, she hits him so hard that his neck almost snaps in two, his gargled spitting at least giving her a little bit of joy. Yet he gets up, placing his hand on his head and pushing. "Oh? That wasn't so bad, perhaps you slowly are starting to get back into that killer instinct I knew so well. But not enough, it still isn't enough."

* * *

><p>"<em>I don't know how much longer I can last Miriana, I keep trying but he never falls. No matter how many times I beat him into the ground, he just gets back up. I want to change, I don't want to just be a killer who gives into my instincts, into our instincts anymore. We're together, Elrya and Alya, both of us as one and yet he keeps coming. I'm sorry…I'm so sorry but I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. Am I just a dreamer? Is Vladimir cents right, and that what I'm doing is wrong? I do want to kill him but I'm pained by the promise that would be broken if I do so.<em>

_You and Yin were my friend and my lover, I don't want you all to see me as what I truly am even though somewhere I think you two already know. _

_If I break that promise, how will I ever live with myself?_

_Miriana, you showed me what true kindness and purity can do, Vladimir Cents will never be able to understand that. He is wicked and beyond redemption but if I break that promise, what will I do about myself?_

_How long can I last?"_

* * *

><p>February 13th, 1999…a small girl lays on the floor unconscious with blood sprawled out all around her and the broken pieces of what was once several humans. Standing by the window's edge, one man glares at the scene with distaste while the other gazes at it both sickened by it and feeling pity for the small girl. "That's 10 men already Garder, it would appear that Alya's personality has once again awakened in her." Vorono muttered, looking at the clipboard in his hand and running his finger down the list. "The first time was in 1995 when she was five years old and she killed her mother."<p>

"Yes…" Garder answered back simply, his cold gaze not once leaving the body of the nude child.

"At that point Elrya had started having more and more conversations with Alya, even forcing her own mind to believe that she was a separate person as well. As you had asked I had Orlana use her Clock Stopper to suppress Alya which appeared to have worked until 1997. Alya emerged as the violent personality and murdered 8 more people in the facility. It became harder and harder for Orlana's powers to keep Alya down. Her vectors have also increased drastically in this time, growing from 2 meters to 5 meters. For Alya her growth is even larger, an increase from 4 meters to 8 meters. But her killing instinct is growing larger and larger…"

"Julius…" Garder said finally. "Would you know why this happening?"

The male Diclonius stood at the back, his wide brimmed hat covering most of his face. He was still young, not even 20 years old at the time. "Unfortunately I do not know the reason for this sir. All Diclonius have an instinct that drives them to kill humans, the same went for me as well. Some of us an control these urges and resist them. Alya's high killer instincts is something that unique amongst Diclonius. To be honest sir if I had to give my own two cents about it…" He paused for a second, not intending for his words to sound like a pun but continuing nonetheless. "…I think it is similar to a recessive gene."

"Recessive gene?" Vorono asked, Garder also looking curious.

"We all know that Diclonius have an internal instincts to kill humans and that this instinct can be suppressed just like I am able to do with myself. For Elrya her instinct became so great that it mentally manifested itself into an entirely different conscious but that's nothing new. We've had studies where the Diclonius instinct will overcome the actual main personality."

"So how does this have anything to do with recessive genes?" Garder asked.

Julius crossed his arms, breathing in slightly and trying to explain it in the best way he could. "Let us say that there is a Dominant Gene II for the instincts and another gene ii for the same instincts at a recessive level. All Diclonius have at least a 50% instinctive gene of Ii, the majority of them having the complete dominant II. That's what causes the split personality in them to manifest. But there are some, like Elrya there who's genes are a very rare recessive ii combined with the already dominant II. In short, her instinctive nature to kill is higher than any Diclonius on record. It would also explain her incredible growth as well though this might also because of reason B.

"There is no need to go into that." Garder said strictly, the male Diclonius merely nodding and not pressing on. From then Vorono continued, still holding the clip board and running his finger down the list to the bottom. "The last time before now that Alya manifested was 5 months ago, she murdered 10 more people. At this point also is when the two personalities of Elrya and Alya appeared to split, sharing the same body but different minds. Orlana had continued to suppress her instinctive urges which have only worked for a few months now. Garder F. Morotisan, at no point would I ever believe that hurting them is right. You know how I feel about these treatments and experiments. But I would be a fool to say that not watching her development would be a misunderstanding."

"Girikuson is correct sir." Julius added in an undertone. "With her high development, it would be wise to keep tabs on her. Just so you know though, Elrya Alya is suffering from excess genes that no other Diclonius has. She may not be the most powerful right now, but she still has more than enough room to grow. Diclonius can be very dangerous…"

Garder didn't need to hear that although he knew Julius was just talking for the sole reason to just talk. "I understand that…"

"Of course you do and so you also know that when pushed over the limits, Diclonius can go on a massive rampage, killing everything in sight."

"How quaint…"

At that point Julius stopped talking, not moving his head but glancing over to the wall where a single large man sat in a chair, leaning forward with his dark eyes staring at the three with a mad glint of a smile. "This girl seems even more interesting than I imagined, are you saying that she has a killer instinct equal to my own?" He asked simply. "If you wish to think of it like that then yes…" Julius uttered. Vlad only chuckled deeply inside of his throat, getting up and without saying another word walked out with his onyx coat fluttering behind him. The others didn't say anything, merely looking at the fallen girl for a long time.

* * *

><p><em>There has only been one other time that I have felt such exhilaration in a battle. One time 15 years ago at the age of 25. To have such a battle now, with an opponent I can call rival is amazing but I don't understand how she has yet to give into her true nature. Diclonius really are amazing people, not just their abilities but their minds as well. That killer instinct of hers is greater than any of her species but her perseverance keeps her from committing the genocide I so desperately wish for. Is it because of you angelic Miriana, has your kindness actually broken through that barrier? Perhaps it was you Yin Sandersas, and your love that defeat the binds.<em>

_I will not stop…not until I die, not until you kill me!_

_No matter what, no matter how many times I have to bleed, until that blood loss is my death, I will never take my eyes from you. _

Elrya Alya prepared herself, digging her ghostly fingers into the ground and readying her body as the next assault from the army came her way, this time Vladimir leading the charge as well.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: The next chapter finished. I have just returned back to my university and classes so it's been a pretty rough day right now. I'm actually surprised I managed to get this chapter done today. Either way I hope you all enjoy it. So what will happen next in the next thrilling chapter of "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p>

R&R


	64. The Incorrigible

**Chapter 63: The Incorrigible**

Every step that she took brought her closer to the wicked wave, led by he who sought her agonizing suffering. Vladimir was already forming a set of thin pike like weapons between his fingers, their tips dripping with blood as suspected from such a hellish man. Certain to continue, he never faltered at a single step, ignoring all pain that racked through his body only the thoughts of keeping this girl in her place was set. He began to get further and further ahead of his racing men, mouth spread open in an articulated scream of demented joy. Preparing herself she attacked him head on. Their strikes came at the same time, bringing his hands forward he smashed his rods straight into the incoming hands. An explosion riddled the area, dust kicking up into the darken grey skies that hovered above that terrible battle. His body flashed through the smoke, racing upon the earth with cruel intentions to arrive.

*BAM!*

His foot swung around, the back of his sole hitting the hand and knocking it away before his entire body turned and flipping through another stream of vectors, he came in closer and closer. Not far behind, the black wave of "Armata lui Dracul" was heading towards her, overcome all defense and crush the poor child with a nearly endless supply of brutality. Vladimir side stepped, her hands passing by his body while she cursed mentally to herself. Biting vectors, kicking vectors, dodging vectors, it was a bit too late now to be surprised but in all seriousness it was really grating on her nerves. "I won't break it, I will beat you!"

"Is that so!" Vlad cried out, another pair of rods stretching out between his fingers. "I wonder how long you'll be able to keep that promise!"

"BOOM!*

50 vectors, what hope could Cents and his meager rods do against her power now? But even as his body flew backwards in a mangled heap, he caught himself, throwing his hands forward he clutched the dirt to stop himself, gagging and choking but always holding onto the insane grin of his. The army passed him, their feet stamping the ground loudly while he choked and spluttered on his own blood. "Kah! Ha! Ha! Ha! Guah! Heh! How quaint, she truly is something else. I can't stop though, no matter how many times she knocks me down, until that time is permanent she will not leave my sights. Gah! I wonder how much blood I've lost." Rising back up, Vladimir stumbled on his feet but just like before he stood up with blood dripping from his lips.

The clash of metal against vectors rang out, the medieval weapons were powerless against them, and yet their strength came in the vast numbers that overwhelmed the girl. Zipping between the enemies, it was like trying to push off a heavy blanket, they smothered her with the mass and slashed at body with their ancient weapons. Why was she being so arrogant? Why was she not ending their lives as she used to do in the past? Killing was in her blood; she'd done it countless times before and never batted an eyes over it. If there was ever a time where killing was legitimate, surely it would be now? This was Vladimir Cents; it had been made painfully clear that the only thing that would keep him down for good was snapping the very life out of him. She had to keep this promise to Miriana because if she broke it, she felt as if something important would be stolen from her. How many years had she gone just killing people because they made her angry? How many years had she murdered humans just because her life was a living hell? But maybe it was wrong to keep going like this? Maybe it was wrong to believe in this false promise?

"ELRYA ALYA!"

!

The young Diclonius held her vectors up, the next attack smashing against the defenses, hearing the shrill cries of the multi-haired girl she was desperately trying to save. "Elrya! Alya! This isn't worth it! This isn't worth it at all! I don't want to see you get hurt! I don't this! Stop it Vladimir! Stop it please! Elrya! Alya! Please kill him! Please kill him!"

!

"Ah!" As if having a revelation, the Diclonius' eyes sprung open in realization. Now she understood why she was being so stubborn. She had no qualm in killing Vladimir Cents; in fact it would've been for the better. She kept refusing to murder him because of Miriana herself! That girl, that sweet little girl would never before have even thought of murder as an option, even for someone like Cents. His cruelty had been so vicious on her that her own purity had been tarnished to the point where the thoughts of homicide had actually filled her innocent heart. Therefore, to show her how pure her true intentions were, she had refused to kill Vladimir Cents. At last she finally understood how foolish she had been, and with a stern look of confidence, she stood up, facing the army that race towards her but keeping her eyes locked coldly on at the man in the back. "…I was a fool…" She said aloud. "…a big, stupid fool bitch. I can't believe I've been so stupid…"

"Ahhh? Have ye finally decided to stop playing around?" Vlad asked, looking onward with a gaze of joy. "Have ye finally stopped dreaming?"

"…Yeah…I've stopped dreaming."

"Ha! Ha! Haahahaha! Heh! Keh! Keh! Keh! Excellent Elrya Alya, now at last you will attempt to kill me…now…"

"SHUT UP!"

Vladimir went quiet, his smile still on his face but his expression stunned as if he hadn't heard her correctly. She continued to yell at him. "Do not be mistaken Vladimir Cents, I still have no intentions of killing you. I have no intentions of letting you hurt Miriana, Yin or any of my friends again. I will never give you that satisfaction! I swear it! I swear it!" She shrieked at him, leaving him stunned just as before until finally his smile vanished. If it was possible Vladimir looked even more dented when his eyes were set with a serious stare than it was when he was guffawing loudly. Even the members of the army had stopped in their tracks, a most ominous wind blow through the surroundings. "…Is that so…Elrya Alya?" Vlad growled under his breath, giving a snap of his fingers as members of the army broke off, heading back to him.

"…Heh. I can't believe it, even after I've pushed you this far you still refuse to do it. How incredibly quaint that is. It really drives me berserk you know, to have such stubbornness against me. So let us see if you still believe that foolish concept after now."

"Wh-What are you doing Vladimir?"

* * *

><p>"<em>I enjoy killing. I enjoy slaughtering. I enjoy being in pain. My entire life was nothing more than a continuous war with my desires, always striving to reach the end I so dearly sought. I will force her into killing me, that was the plan from the very beginning. I want to die by her hands; I would love it to be so! But I wouldn't be myself if I just let her murder me then and there. Killing a person is one thing but it's even better when you destroy them mentally. Things like physical damage, while definitely amazing, pale in comparison to the mental destruction one can rage. <em>

_I really had no intentions of coming this far with her. I assumed she was just like the rest, just another horned girl that I would kill and be done with. Never in my life did I think that this girl, these girls, Elrya Alya would be good enough for me to call rival. It's been 15 years since I felt this kind of joy against somebody, I won't let it pass by me again!_

_I can't stop now. I refuse to stop until I die._

_Why?_

_Because I am incorrigible, incapable of any compassion whatsoever._

_So I continue, ignoring the blood that flows from my wounds, I ignore it all._

…_Pinpoint Lifeline. That was the operation that devastated me, destroyed my men and kept us in ruin. Never before had I felt so pathetically defenseless in my life. That's what Pinpoint Lifeline is; it searches and destroys the very life in something, utterly destroying it. Our supplies were gone, our fighters devastated, our lives rendered useless. In short, we were beaten down until there was nothing left for us. I absolutely loved it._

_That hell._

_That living hell._

_That's what Pinpoint Lifeline is, to completely destroy in all forms the opponent so that they never get up again. But something happened, I was on the verge of death but it never came. For some reason, what I sought never came to me even though it was right there. At first I thought I was going through eternal suffering, my desires having finally been reached. I would be in pain for eternity but death which I wanted would not come. But then I started to heal, my body relaxed and I realized that what I wanted most of all had been carelessly snatched away._

_Therefore…I exist for the sole purpose to die. But I won't make it easy on her, oh no._

_I will not make it easy on her at all._

_As long as I exist…I refuse…to stop."_

* * *

><p>"Y-Yin!" Miriana's cry was loud enough to drown out Elrya Alya's own as two of the soldiers violently grabbed him before throwing his body to the earth and pinning him there. "You fucking bastard!" The Diclonius roared spitefully, about to rush over and teach those men what would happen when they would dare to attack the man she loved. But she couldn't take two steps when a powerful force hit her from behind, knocking her straight off of her feet and the air right out of her lungs. At first she thought she'd been hit by a truck, and it was only a few seconds later that she realized an entire group of men had pummeled her, their weight keeping her down. 140 vectors would soon get rid of that problem until she felt the pointed ends of spears jab into her back, arms and hands, pinning her down even more and filling her body with excess pain.<p>

"Guh! B-Bastard…fuck you! What are you going to do with Yin!

"What a silly question." Vlad mused to himself, the smile back on his face. Finally his large boots stomped heavily in front of the man held down by Vladimir's soldiers, surprisingly little fear but definitely concern crossing the young man's face. "Hello there Yin Sandersas, I don't believe we've been well acquainted before have we? My name is Vladimir Cents." If Yin could, he might have spat in his face, instead he just retorted back. "I know who you are Vladimir, you're the one who has been hurting my friends and family for so long."

"Aye. So I guess you know what I'm going to do to you."

"I can guess…" Yin answered back angrily, the young Diclonius finally starting to realize what was going on now. "Vladimir you son of a bitch! This is between you and me, leave him out of this! Gah! Get off of me!" Pushing the men off was no problem, it was keeping her vectors around which caused issues. Her entropy couldn't handle a total of 140 vectors and forcing herself too much gave her too much pain. The First Cent guffawed at Yin's answer, before one of his rods stabbed into Yin's back. No screams, just a short grunt of pain came from the black haired man's lips. The same couldn't be said for the Diclonius and Miriana who shrieked simultaneously, the former breaking out into a stream of curses.

"Son of a bitch! You fucking bastard!"

Liking this turn of events, Vlad raised the next rod smashing into Yin's right arm and then twisting it. "Ahh!" Whether or not he wanted to yell wasn't a question, a forced yelp escaped Yin's mouth and yet it was nothing compared to the horrified scream that came from Elrya Alya. "BASTARD! YOU FUCKING BASTARD! FINE THEN YOU ASSHOLE I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Bwahahahaha! Wrong Elrya Alya!" Vlad bellowed loudly, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "Do you think you can lie to me, the greatest liar in the world? How conceited!" The third one struck Sandersas in the right leg this time, his black rod gouging a huge hole before ripping it at an angle so that the already gaping hole was made even larger. He didn't stop there, he struck through the same wound, twisting and churning his rod so that Yin, regardless of whether he wanted to or not, screamed in primal agony. The bone and muscles were showing through his flesh, the nerves sliced open and his leg unable to move. "How interesting Yin Sandersas, have you attained a unique aspect for pain deterrence?"

"VLADIMIR CENTS! GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

"Nah ah ah…" Vlad said, shaking his finger at her, and stomping on Yin's open wound. "You should've thought of that that before you started this poor excuse of a fight. The only thing that you are is a dreamer, a childish little dreamer who can't wake up! That's what dreams are, worthless ideals that fools believe in because they're too weak to work for their desires!" She couldn't take it, she couldn't take those words or Yin' horribly managed body being stomped on. "I desire to kill you!" She shrieked at him, still struggling to push off the horde of madmen that did not relent on throwing and keeping her down. Once again, Vladimir spat back at her, his hand raised up and his finger once again pointing as if to accuse her of some great crime. "Lies! You dare lie to me, King of Deceit, Vladimir Cents! You dare to claim your desires that you will kill me when you haven't even attempted to slaughter these men around you? They serve me, they work for me, I can give the order and they'll murder Miriana too! I'll murder every single person close to you!

…All in the attempt…to see you crack."

* * *

><p>"<em>I can't take it, if this goes on anymore Yin will die! No, he won't die, I refuse to let him die! Get off of me! Get off of me! I keep pushing them off, throwing them around but the weapons in me are hurting so much! There are too many of them and I can't break my promise! I can't take it anymore! I just can't take it anymore! I just to be with my friends and family, I want to get away from all the agony that's been plaguing me since birth. This wasn't even supposed to happen like this! <em>

_Why is everyone against me?_

_Why is this happening to me?_

_What did I do to deserve to be so miserable?_

_I need help!"_

* * *

><p>The 16 year old girl looked absolutely distraught, her fingers clawing at her own hair and spit running down her mouth. "Elrya! Alya! Don't give up!" Miriana appear to come to her senses as well and the kind of mental battle that her friend was going through but now, if there was ever a time for murder to be of use, it was now. No matter how evil Vladimir was, killing was something that burned her very soul. To speak of killing gave her the bitterest taste on her tongue, as if she could physically be hurt by merely muttering the sinful words. She too was going through a mental horror, flashes of violence passing through her head. Her eyes shot around, looking right and then left before spotting Yin's back and rushing over to it and rummaging through the items.<p>

*BANG!*

Vladimir was flung forward, catching himself, he massaged the hole in his shoulder and finally stared behind him at Miriana, the black gun that was in Yin's bag shaking in her sweaty palm. She looked absolutely terrified, and for good reason as well. She could hardly handle shooting a tranquilizer gun much less an actual gun. She could hardly believe herself, she had shot a real gun, a real gun to hurt somebody. "Ah…I…sh-shot…oh god…oh god…" Slipping from her fingers, the gun hit the ground loudly as the young girl continued to look mortified. Vladimir himself appeared momentarily startled, his hand still clutching his wounded shoulder before grossly licking. Just looking at him made the Diclonius sick to her stomach.

"New isn't it?" He muttered to the frightened human girl. "That's the first time you've ever shot a real gun isn't it? Is it exhilarating angel Miriana, to hold such a deadly thing in your hands?"

"No…" She whimpered, shaking her head and holding her hands close to her chest, small tears dripping from her innocent little eyes. "I shot him…oh god…that was horrible." She was now visibly crying, like a poor child in the worst of situations her cries turned into high pitched wails of pain as Vladimir brought out his own pistol and fired at her. Elrya Alya nearly lost it when she was Miriana being throw backwards, red flying from her left knee until he child hit the ground with a loud thud, rolling three times before coming to a halt on her back, her small chest heaving in and out. "MIRIANA!" And as she screamed her friend's name, Vladimir, that twisted man had the nerve to laugh.

"BASTARD! BASTARD! YOU MOTHERFUCKING BASTARD!" That was it, that was now totally it.

Because now it was it. She stopped, her breath momentarily leaving her as Vladimir once again stomped his foot on Yin's back, pushing him down and doing the unthinkable. Certainly even somebody as warped as him wouldn't do something so cruel right? Everything was stopping, the world was coming to a complete halt so that the only thing that the young Diclonius could see was the horrific thing that Cents was doing. Let it be a lie, this was all just a sick lie, he was after all the king of lies right? So this was just another sickening lie so that he could torture her a bit. That was fine, let it be torture, but please dear God don't let him do what he's doing now. But no matter how much she may wish for it to be untrue, there is no denying the gun now pressing against the back of Yin's head.

"…Don't do it…" She could only whisper it now, her red eyes so wide and the small droplets of tears slowly dripping down her cheeks. "…Please don't do it…please don't do it Vladimir. I'll do anything, I'll do anything." She was begging from the very bottom of the heart, this wasn't even a matter of revenge right now, this was a matter of keeping the love of her life alive. "Please stop Vladimir! Please stop right now…" She wasn't even trying to attack anymore, she was only begging, crying and whimpering harshly as Vlad gave her a quizzical look. "Do you promise to stop this foolish thing of dreams?"

She nodded her head quickly. "Y-Yes! Yes! Yes! I promise! I promise!"

He gave her a good long look and then his face twisted into the unmistakable grin of insanity. As if in slow motion she could see the trigger finger moving, the muzzle of the gun pressing even harder against the man's head who perhaps in a state of shock couldn't tell what was going on. With time slowly down, flashes of memories spread throughout the young Diclonius mind, of the short yet incredibly happy times she had with Yin Sandersas, the first human outside of the facility to ever show her true kindness. Forever she would remember that kindness, forever and for eternity she would remember all the love she felt for him.

Because now would be the last time she would ever see him again.

"…Heh…how quaint…"

"**STOP IT!"**

*BANG!*

* * *

><p>...And she starred with a look of incomprehension on her young face, as Yin's brains were blasted out of the front of his skull. She completely stopped breathing, not a single bit of air left her lungs nor entered it. Mouth slightly agape, she watched with horror gripping at every single nerve in her body as Yin fell forward, blood splattering outwards and his eyes starring in opposite directions. This was a lie right? This was all just some sick lie right? Please let it be a lie. Yin was not laying in a puddle of blood, a gaping hole in his head and his body giving a few spasmodic twitches every once in a while. He would soon get up, wipe…whatever that red stuff was on him and get Miriana away as soon as possible. Even Cents wouldn't be that cruel right?<p>

…Right?

"…Yin?" She called out, hoping with all of her might that this was just another sick joke. "It's me…Elrya Alya, please answer me. Wh-Why aren't you answering me? Please get up…please get up…pl-please get up. Pl-Please…g-get…up.

Ah…Y-Yin? Wh-Why aren't you getting up?" As she whimpered, she became aware of a sound echoing in her ears. She had heard it before but couldn't comprehend it at first because it the kind of sound that shouldn't happen in this situation. What was that horrible sound, wafting like some bad stench in the air. It was coming from the man whose foot was still pressed against Yin's back, laughing loudly in her direction. Vladimir Cents was laughing, loudly at the fact that that he just murdered the man she had loved.

He was laughing!

That bastard was laughing!

**Vladimir Cents killed Yin Sandersas**

Then at long last time resumed its normal course, the entire realization of the whole ordeal hit her a thousand fold and at long last, she could no longer hold it in.

"**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHH!"**

Never before had she ever screamed so loudly in her entire life. Never before had she ever felt so much pain in her mind and body. In a single instant, the pathetic soldiers who dare to interfere with her were obliterated on the spot. Their bodies torn apart into the bloodiest of pieces. Not once did she stop screaming, her voice continued to shrill into the sky as blood, guts and bones rained around her. He was dead! He was dead! He was dead! Yin Sandersas was dead! It hit her again and again, the horrific truth, the truth of it all! He was dead, lying there, never to breathe again! He was no longer alive and the fucker who killed him was laughing right at her, proclaiming his cruelty directly to her. Still shrieking at the top of her lungs, caring no longer for anything in the world, she stormed towards the twisted blonde haired man with but a single stream of cryptic words passing through her intoxicated head.

"**KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!"**

* * *

><p>Vladimir Cents has finally done it, in the perfect act of cruelty, the twisted man has done the unthinkable and has murdered Yin Sandersas right before young Elrya Alya's very eyes. No longer can she take it anymore, the young Diclonius has finally comletely snapped. So what will happen next, in "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p> 


	65. Bloodline Past

**Chapter 64: Bloodline Past**

There was no longer any pity in her eyes, only an insane glare of absolute hate. The only thing that came across her mind was to murder this monster who killed Yin. The look on his face, the horrid look as he realized what was going to happen, the splatter of his brains all over the ground would forever haunt her to the day she died. So in her furious articulate moment of rage, she set her murderous intent upon that monster. She would kill him, tear him apart, murder him and make him pay for eternity for the thing he did! Nothing he could say would change her mind, beyond redemption, beyond hope, the only thing he deserved was death! Kill! Kill! Kill! "Ah! Ah! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" It was the only thing she could say, her only thoughts was to murder, again and again and again until not a shred of him remained. She ran across the barren wasteland, chaotic red eyes blindly seeking murder as the wave of tears spread over her face.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!" She screamed it over and over, slashing through the hordes of soldiers that foolishly stood in her way. She didn't care about them; she didn't a damn about any of those people. It was only him, that disgusting man who dared to smirk in her direction, a fucking sinful act for what just happened. Hands slashed through flesh, ripping and goring in a bloody display so that her entire body was now drenched in the guts of her enemies. Still he kept smiling, laughing at her, mocking Yin's precious life that he so carelessly took away. She wanted to be so much to him, they never even got to truly be married, she even dreamed of days when they would live together, Miriana too as a sister, like a true family. No, that would never happen now, he had made sure of that. Never again would she be able to hear comforting words from him, never again would he be able to tell her that her lips were like cherries. Never again would he hold her, never again!

"GET OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY!" She shrieked, slashing open the bellies of more of the freaks that stood in her way. How dare he keep smiling, how dare he keep laughing! Unforgivable! Unforgivable! No amount of apologizing, no amount of forgiveness, nothing would ever make her forgive him! The lowest pits of Hell wouldn't account for even a fraction of the evil he had committed. So she slashes, hacks and rips apart in the bloodiest of fashion every single person that stands in her way, all the while screaming at the top of her lungs…

"…DIE! DIE! DIE! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!

…I SWEAR IT…!

…VLADIMIR CENTS!"

She roared his name to the heavens, the dark man raising his head and looking at her with a most amused expression as his army was brutally torn apart before his very eyes. He raised his hand, that unforgivable hand; she'd slice off every nerve that composed it! He had to die; he had to die now and forever. She didn't care about what he did, she didn't care when he swept the air with his hands and the flurry of black arrows rained from behind her. She didn't care as the struck her back, forcing her to spit up her blood and unintentionally falter her pacing. All of it was a mere trifle when compared to the unadulterated frenzy that filled every emotion in her. It wasn't only that either, in the purest form of her hellish transformation, she abandoned all pretenses of innocence, abandoned her promises and sought just one desire, no one conviction. The murder of Vladimir Cents, in the cruelest most mangled means possible. Unforgivable! Un-fucking-forgiviable!

At one point she began hacking up blood but with no more men to stand before her, she at long last could reach and massacre that bastard. Vladimir finally got ready, his knees bending low until he too raced towards her with a look of glee on his twisted face. Her vectors exploded out in a furious storm; beyond numbers she couldn't imagine. 180? 230? 450? Fuck entropy! Fuck pain! It was all a mindless point when compare to her fury, if she broke down and melted into flesh and bone then so be it. She'd use your vectors to crawl her dying form right towards him. If it ever came to that, she wouldn't stop, she'd continue on until he died!

*CLASH!*

In the midst of the man swerving and avoiding her hands like the freak that he was, they at long last clashed together, his black rod pressing against her hectic arm then shattering into a black splinters. But his only action afterwards was to grab her by the scruff of her shirt and bash his head against her, starring into the very mad soul of her eyes. "HA! HA! HA! HA! HE'S DEAD ELRYA ALYA! DID YOU LOVE HIM! HA! HA! HA! HA!"

!

"STOP FUCKING LAUGHING!"

*BAM!*

Right in the head, surely it would take it off, surely it would decapitate him! But even with a blow from her vector, his head still stands upon his shoulder, he only gets bashed away across the land, his body tumbling and falling on his broken bones. The Diclonius stops for one moment, bends on her knees and then launches herself at him, picking up her velocity until her ghostly hand finally clutches his arm, squeezing it as tightly as she can before throwing him into the dirty ground. At that point the crack of thunder echoes above and the first few drops of rain begin to fall. "DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!" With every word she continues to smash his mangled body until with a single throw, Vladimir was flung into the back of his citadel, his corrupted body smashing heavily through the black stones until he fell to his knees, collapsing on all fours.

"…Haa…Haa...Haa…"

*BASH!*

At the exact moment before her vector could crush his skull, his hand gripped the top area of the citadel above him and flipped himself upwards, his body hanging aerially while the stones were destroyed by the onslaught of numerous hands. Starring down at his enemy, at the one who had long last had broken her promise; he began to fling his rods at her.

"DETONATE!"

Explosions riddled the area, sending smoke into a now wet area as the rainstorm continued without pause, violent winds rushing all around. Another explosion as Vladimir struck from above again, his black rods smashing down against the girl's defenses while fire lapped around them. Landing, the two struck again, their weapons smashing together simultaneously so that a section of the massive citadel was blown off by their destructive power. "GUH! MURDER! I'LL MURDER YOU!"

"Really? You think you can now? You think you can finally do it now? Little Elrya Alya all mad because her stupid little guy is dead?" He mocked.

"DIE! SHUT UP AND DIE ALREADY!

*SLASH!*

Missed, her vector slicing off more stone than the much wanted flesh she desire.

*STAB!*

Missed, Vladimir rod was snapped in half before it could make contact with her heart. They clashed again and again, the dark man holding several rods between his fingers and sometimes they even hovered momentarily in the air while falling down before he grabbed them and smashed them into her defenses. They clashed again and again, the dark man holding several rods between his fingers and sometimes they even hovered momentarily in the air while falling down before he grabbed them and smashed them into her vectors. The more she fought, the more her body would burn inside, the more she slashed at him repeatedly, the more the blood would flow from her mouth. Their battle raged in a climatic showdown of explosions, flashes of lights before once again Vladimir was struck through the walls of his citadel, his head pressing tightly against the stones and his eyes widely starring at the livid face of his attack.

Hate! She hated him beyond any person in the world. She hated him more than any living being in the world. Grinding the side of his own face into the wall she compressed him even more tightly into the stone structure and slid her vector in a wide arc. The movement dragged him along the outer wall; the skin of his flesh peeling off in small pieces before finally huge chunks of the right side of his face was torn off in a violent display of anger. The entre flesh of his right jaw was gone, exposing his maw and making his already heinous grin look even more demented than before. Bleeding from every direction possible, he collapsed to his knees, eyes shaking wildly as the pain engulfed him. "…This is it…this feeling of bliss that I've wanted. To die like this was be perfect, but…

…IT STILL ISN'T ENOUGH!

NOT ENOUGH!

NOT ENOUGH!

NOT ENOUGH!

IT STILL ISN'T ENOUGH ELRYA ALYA!" He roared at the end giving another swipe of his hand and sending "Armata lui Dracul" on the assault again. As livid as ever, she spun around, watching the remnants of the army stampede towards before falling to her knees, a spasm of pain hitting her harshly. "Ah…guh…ah!"

"You finally hit your last limit." Vlad choked, his head hanging limply while his fingers clutched the dirt. "...Any more now and you're just going to kill yourself." It was true, even if she didn't want to believe it and in turn her vectors numbers slowly started to decrease to in order to preserve the energy that she needed. She was in a blind fit of rage, uncaring for anything but his death but she had enough sense to know that killing him was impossible if she died first. Flanking her at both sides, the armored men raised their weapons and struck again and again. Each time, the points of swords, spears and axes would shatter into metallic pieces before bodies were blown apart into gory smithereens. Hacking, slashing, and ripping those idiots that dare to stand against her, against her revenge!

*SMASH!*

Turning just in time to block Vlad's sneak attack, her feet dragged across the ground from the force of the impact before the bastard had the nerve to start talking again. "Are you angry Elrya Alya-chan? Are you mad that I killed that man? Dead, he's dead and he'll never come back! Look!" He spun around, catching her by surprise as he side stepped behind her and grabbed her by the back of the head, forcing her to stare at Yin's deceased body. "He'll never get up again, never see daylight again, and never see your precious little face again. He's dead…HA! HA! HA! HA!

HATE!

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut the fuck up you asshole!" Screeching at him, she was forced to lower more of vector numbers, now heading back to 80 again and her Vladimir defending himself against her blows. "I will make you pay! I will make you pay for everything you did!

Just die!

JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY!

*SLISH!*

Through his chest, a hand straight through his chest and an attempt to slice him from belly to head. Vladimir was prepared however and before she could commit her deed, his gun was already flashing in front of her. With a resounding bang, she flew back from the bullet that struck her belly, her small frame rolling pathetically. Vlad himself staggered, feeling the gaping hole inside of his body and laughing manically. This was how it should be; to die in such a fashion would be the perfect end for him. Yet it still wasn't enough, it just wasn't enough for him. To hit the highest bliss possible, he needed something more. Vectors now dropping to 30, Elrya Alya coughed and spluttered then cursed his life with everything she had. "DAMN YOU! GAH! I'LL KILL YOU! MURDER YOU! DIE! DIE! DIE!

Flash of red in her eyes, she quickly turned around when she heard the sound of running, preparing herself to finish off the last bit of Vladimir's army. "Get out of my way! Be gone from my sights, be gone from my mind! All of you will die! Just die! Just fucking die already!"

And then they were obliterated, every last one was destroyed beyond recognition, weapons flying everywhere until at last the only person who finally stood before her was Vladimir, his body hunched over but the smile, that same god forsaken smile still etched on his mutilated face. Her vectors had dropped again, their two minds perhaps on instinct or just feeling as if there was no point in being together anymore broke apart into the two separate paths. It didn't stop the intense rage they felt, in fact might have just doubled it as Elrya took control, promising Alya mentally that she would kill him.

"I promise…for everything he did to him, he will pay Alya."

"…Good! Kill him! I want him to die! Kill him!"

At the end of the road the two began to walk slowly towards each other as the citadel behind them started to crumble away. On an extremely small number of vectors were forming around her, weak and hapless that they were only as strong as regular arm, it wouldn't stop her from killing him. Each of their breaths came out raggedly, torn up and bleeding profusely this would surely be where it would end. "Make him pay…" Alya growled to her friend. "…We'll never get to see him again…I'll never get to see him again…" Elrya knew perfectly what she meant; it wasn't just Yin either was it. He had been torturing and killing everyone that had been close to her, all for his own sick amusement. A person like him, no, a monster like him did not deserve to live.

As they took their last steps toward each other, the citadel behind them fell into pieces entirely.

* * *

><p>September 16th, 1995<p>

"Hello?"

The young child jerked back from the sudden voice, it had sounded close, almost right next to her and for a moment she looked around expecting to see her mother. Instead the only thing five year Elrya saw was another young girl whom looked exactly like her with just a few minor changes in her hair style and face. The same girl kept looking at her with a puzzled expression, until both their heads tilted to the side in cute curiosity. "H-Hello…" Elrya answered back, somewhat nervously as well. The other girl looked just as nervous as well, her hands behind her back, she blushed deeply. They both seemed to be nervous until at last Elrya got the courage to start talking again.

"H-How did you get in here?"

"Me? I've always lived here."

Elrya seemed somewhat confused, as far as she knew the only person that lived here with her was her mother. She had never seen another young girl living here and yet she felt like she had known this girl for a long time. Smiling sweetly, young Elrya skipped over to her, eager to introduce herself. "My name's Elrya, what's your name?" About to answer, the other girl suddenly stopped, her head raising and pondering. "I'm not sure what my name is…I'm sorry." Elrya felt a little taken aback, how could one not remember their own name? The young girl seemed really worried and pity rose in her heart for her.

"What if I gave you a name?"

"REALLY!' The other girl felt joy in her body when she heard those words. "Do you really mean it?"

"Y-Yeah! How about Alya?"

She thought about it carefully, before breaking into a huge smile and suddenly hugging Elrya with all of her might. "That sounds wonderful! Thank you Elrya, I'll always cherish it." Too young to understand, too young to realize, young Elrya and young Alya were too different personalities that had met for the first time together. Each of their minds separated their brains created an image of each other for them to see. In turn what they were looking at was illusions, false images created by their own minds. But for both of them, both 5 year old Elrya and 5 year old Alya, they were the best friends ever. That entire afternoon, without even asking a question of how either of them had appeared before, they played along with each other in Elrya's toy room. It was fun playing with Alya but at times her friend would disappear and she didn't have a clue where she had gone.

"Mama!" The small child called out at these times tugging at the end of her mother's skirt who smiled and bent down to speak to her. "Yes dear, what is it?"

"I can't find my friend Alya?"

"Alya? Who's that?" She asked, rather perplexed. Elrya smiled brightly before answering her mother in a cheery tone. "She's my friend that I met today. She lives here also but right now I can't seem to find her." Her mother paused for a moment then sighed with a small smile on her face when it came to her. Obviously her daughter was playing with an imaginary friend and this was just a game. She remember the times as a child when she would play with herself and create friends when alone, soon enough Elrya would break away from that habit and find real friends. Not to displease her daughter, the mother nodded her head quickly before replying. "Alright Elrya, I haven't seen your friend but if I do I'll call you."

"Thanks Mama!" The young girl responded happily before running out the door. Her mother nodded alone, still cooking dinner and wondering how on earth a sweet child such as her daughter could ever grow up to be such a cold blooded killer. She was as innocent as the day she was born, how could Garder ever think that she would become a killer. She may not know much about these Diclonius but she knew that her daughter would never be like that. She would be sweet, innocent and loving for the rest of her life, that was for certain…right? She saw no reason to dwell too hard on the matter, Elrya was still just a young little girl, having fun with herself and helping her mother whenever she could. Her mother wasn't able to understand her powers, only that Garder had described them has hands and nearly had a fit over them.

She remembered quite vividly how he gone up to her with murder in his eyes and she had, in no simple terms, slapped him. His expression didn't change though; he still had the cold dead look in his eyes that she hated so much. It used to be filled with warmth but ever since he got back from the war, for 5 straight years he never smiled, or beamed at her like he used to do. He never he looked at Elrya except when she was sleeping; always standing in the corner and so her daughter never got a good look at him. Sometimes he would pay a visit everyone few months, checking on Elrya in which he persisted that she needed to be taken to his facility. Of course Elrya's mother adamantly refused, slapping him so hard that she left a mark on his face.

"No Garder! I won't let you do that! She's my daughter and I won't have you take her away from me! Why do you insist that she's so dangerous, look at her! She's innocent and pure. Why can't you just accept her, she's your brother's daughter after all!

You know what that means right! She's your blood too!"

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another chapter finished in a heartbeat. The battle is rages on and a little insight on Elrya Alya's history is given. Stay tuned for the next upcoming chapter in "Pinpoint Lifeline."<p>

R&R


	66. On The Concluding Cry

**Chapter 65: On The Concluding Cry**

Five year old Elrya was sulking in her room, pouting and crossing her arms stubbornly. She was having a tantrum because her mother had scolded her for not listening. It short, it was the usual thing to be expected from a misbehaving child who was forced to her room. Of course she whined, and called her mother a few inappropriate names that she did not intend for, one of which got her good smack on the hand and put her into a frenzy of tears. Now she was in her room, still sniffing and holding her hand when a sudden voice broke the silence.

"Elrya?"

"Ah! Alya!" Elrya cried out, seeing her friend in the corner of the room looking nervously at her. "When did you get here?"

"I was here, when did you get here?" Alya asked. Both of them just starred at one another and decided to just let it go, the idea to complicated for their young minds to handle. "Why are you holding your hand Elrya, is it hurt?"

"Mama yelled at me and then she hit me…it really hurt." Elrya cried, nudging up against Alya for support who looked absolutely flabbergasted. "Your mother hit you, how could she do such a thing? You need to go and hit her back!" Alya demanded, holding her by the shoulders and gazing into her eyes as if to make the point directly. The young girl shook her head wildly. "I can't do that Alya; I couldn't do something like that. Although, where is your Mama Alya?" Once again Alya just looked at her questioningly as if Elrya had said something awkward. "My mother is here, she's downstairs in the kitchen. That was rather strange because her mother was in the kitchen as well.

For a child such as them, they couldn't grasp the situation that they were the same people. To them, they were just two friends with two mothers living in the same house. There wasn't a question of how they got there; they accepted it as any normal little kid would. After an hour, the door opened and Elrya's mother stepped in, her gaze stern but hardly cold as her daughter looked up at her. "Alright Elrya, are you going to listen to me and not misbehave anymore?" She nodded twice; hugging her mother's leg like any normal kid would as if showing love would make things all better. "I will Mama! I will! My friend's here also!"

"Oh where is she?" Her mother teased, looking around playfully. Alya didn't find it too funny though, especially when her eyes kept passing over her. It would've one thing if she was just playing around, but her eyes never even got her attention. When she couldn't take it anymore, Alya actually yelled at the young woman. "I'm right here! Stop ignoring me!" A long look of confusion crossed the woman's face. Turning around, she starred rather fearfully at her daughter before mumbling slowly. "D-Did you say something Elrya?"

"No Mama, that was Alya."

"Yeah…" Alya declared, still feeling rather miffed that the woman was ignoring her. She looked just like her mother as well too, except for a few minor changes in the skin tone and body structure. "I'm right here!" Something akin to a shiver ran down the woman's back, her eyes staring at Alya which subsequently meant she was just looking at her daughter. For the two personalities, they wouldn't understand, but for the mother, she was definitely scared. Elrya her daughter's had suddenly changed. Her voice was different, slightly lower and her expression a little more dark than what normally should've been on a 5 year old's face.

"What's wrong Mama?"

"Ah!" Her mother was again taken aback when the child's face and tone changed to what she recognized as her daughter. Who was this Alya person than, she was obviously the last name of Elrya but who exactly was she? Such things were only made more confusing to her when Elrya began talking to Alya. For the child of course, she was speaking to her friend, to everybody else, she was talking to herself which was already scary enough for the young woman. It wasn't made easier that her voice kept changing tones over and over again whenever Elrya would talk and then Alya would respond back. "Elrya?" Her mother called over, once again stunned by the expression of the little Diclonius changing and answering her politely. "What is it Mama? Mama…you look scared is something wrong?" She asked fretfully, worried as her mother bit her fingernails.

"…N-Nothing my little Elrya, I'm not mad at you anymore. Keep playing with…Alya…"

* * *

><p>"Orrraaagh!" Screaming, she launched the first attack towards his gut. With his eyes wide with insufferable glee, his fist swung out in a wide arch just as the first piece of the broken citadel exploded on the ground. The punches connected, Vladimir's fist smashing against her head and knocking her away as her vector collided into his gut, grinding into his flesh but unable pass through as it had weakened too much during the fight. They staggered, blood from each flying against their faces as their bodies arched forward and the next blow slammed into each other. Beyond the impossible, ignoring their wounds they clash their own attacks against each other's bodies, Vlad's fist slamming into her shoulder with all the force he could muster. Likewise, her vector swung to the side, pounding into his rib cage and breaking the last bit of bones that composed those ribs. The two fell back again, caught their balance and turned to strike again.<p>

*BAM!*

Nothing but hate for him, even as his blows grind into her face, bloodying her figure, she can't let him win. Even as the cold water drips from her red skin, her eternal hate will never end as long as he lives. Yin is dead, forever dead and the one responsible is there, standing before her, laughing as always! Hate! Hate! Elrya screams in utter disarray, smashing the next vector hard across Vlad's face, the fingers digging into the wounded side of his ripped jaw. Again she attacks, forcibly slamming the next hand into his chest, trying to take his heart out but having used so much of her power, her hands are only as strong as normal fists, but that only keeps her going. If she had too, she'll keep ripping thorough him until she reaches that heart and destroys it.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!

Why won't he just die? He wants to die right, so just die already!

"JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY!"

But what he is, this twisted man who is more monster than man? Who is this twisted being who smiles hellishly in the wake of his wounds, his arms broken, his ribs are broken, his nerves are destroyed, his face is torn apart, yet he keeps on standing. If he wants to die so much, then why doesn't he just gone and die? Because that's the kind of man he is, the only thing he enjoys is pure suffering and thus though he wants to die, though he desperately wants to die, he will never make it easy for her. No matter how many bones are broken, no matter how many nerves are snapped off, he won't fall. He just stands there, hunched over and bleeding profusely but always moving forward to intercept her. To end it like this, how could he not drag it out to the very end? This inglorious pain would be his end, how could he not let it be dragged on through the mud?

The dirt kicks into the air as the two charge forward, then quickly turn at the same time so their backs are against each other. Swiftly moving around, the clash of vector and rod explodes loudly before Vlad's fist smashes against Elrya's gut, forcing to her knees, his fingers wrap around her hair tightly, lifting her up single handedly and grinning wickedly into her face. She could feel his fist bashing into her face again and again and a third time before she's chucked into the bottom of the citadel, the pieces still falling all around her. Dazed and disoriented, Vladimir roars in triumph, laughing horrifically, he made a last charge, grabbing one of the fallen spears that lay all around the battlefield and plunges it into her chest where her heart is.

* * *

><p>"H-Hello Garder…is that you?"<p>

Elrya was sleeping in her room and so her mother had finally decided to call the man who knew so much about these…Diclonius. It was late at night but she also knew that Garder worked late at his facilities although she didn't know the actual circumstances that surrounded the place. Only that horned girls like her daughter were taken there and she had made a point that Elrya would never be going there. He answered her call, talking his gruff and broken voice. "It is quite late right now, why aren't you asleep?"

"I'm sorry but something is wrong with Elrya…"

Garder paused for a second. "What do you mean something is wrong with her?"

"Well today she said she was playing with a new friend named Alya. At first I thought it was something like an imaginary friend but then…her voice changed and…"

"I see…where is she now?"

"Sleeping."

Garder once again paused for a moment to think things over before finally answering over the phone. "I will be there some in the late morning."

"Thank you Garder."

* * *

><p>For everyone, Alya is the deadly Diclonius personality and the reason why Elrya has such a murderous personality greater than any other Diclonius in the world. For Elrya, she is her best friend, the one who has been by her side for so long and the one person she can always look towards for comfort and support. Her best friend…her very best friend.<p>

Herself.

Alya was watching Elrya's mother cooking breakfast, her round red eyes widening happily at the food being cooked although at that point Elrya's mother didn't realize that Alya was in control at the moment. But something was strange in Alya's eyes, like a glint of something distasteful and for her, the young Diclonius wasn't sure what it was. Was she still feeling a little ill at the woman for ignoring her? She wanted to get her attention again but something stopped her. The longer she looked at the woman, the feeling of hate filled her, something that she couldn't even explain herself. The only thing she knew was that this woman, was in her way and for whatever inexplicable reason, she wanted to kill her. But this was Elrya's mother, how could she ever think of doing something so evil?

"What's wrong Alya?" Elrya asked.

"…I want…to kill her…"

"Huh?" The young child mused over at Alya looking at her mother too with a rather strange look in her eye. As before, she was unable to comprehend the fact that there were two personalities in her, her normal one and the Diclonius instinct that was Alya who biologically desired the death of humanity. Yes she wanted to kill her, this human woman who was holding Elrya away from her, from her true calling, what made her think it was beyond her but the only thing Alya wanted to do right now is kill this woman!

Kill!

KILL!

And the action was finally done.

That would be the last time she'd ever see her mother alive, afterwards she would be taken to the facility where her world of hell would truly begin.

* * *

><p>"<em>I killed her…" <em>Alya though sadly, the black world of death filling her and Elrya's world. _"I murdered your mother Elrya…no…not just your mother, but mine as well. Our mother. I remember it all now…I'm just a sick monster who can't control myself anymore. It's my fault that we had to live like that, if I was just a good girl, we could have lived together with our mother. I'm sorry Elrya…I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me, but I'm so sorry."_

"_I know Alya…I know…we're both responsible for this. I'm not going to be angry with you because you've still been there for me."_

"_B-But I killed her, I was even laughing when I did it. Ahhh!"_

Alya broke down into a set of fresh tears, her eyes overflowing as she hugged Elrya for support, this time she needed support from her one and only friend, from herself. She hugged her tightly, choking and whimpering and letting her sadness flow down her face. _"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's all my fault that this happened to us! I should never have been born!"_

"_Don't you dare say that!" _Elrya shrieked at her, grabbing Alya by the shoulder and shaking her violently. _"Don't you dare say that Alya, you're my best friend and that will never change. It's my own fault for not paying attention to you, maybe if I had this would never have happened. Don't blame yourself."_

"…_B-But it's still my fault. I-I…I'm so sorry…"_

"_Please stop crying Alya…please…"_

Her friend continued to sniff into her shoulder, her teeth grinding together in emotional pain while Elrya hugged her back. She needed this, to be hugged by somebody close because never before had she felt so weak in her life. She was always confident, taking the lead and helping Elrya with all of her problems. Whenever Elrya would start crying or needed to be held by a friend, she would be there for her. Now though, this time she needed help herself, she need so much help not just for herself but from herself as well. She had always been the brave one, not that Elrya wasn't but it was well known that Alya had that confidence about her that made her seem so much stronger than she was. In truth, Elrya looked up to her as an older sister, somebody that the younger could go to for protection.

But now the roles were changed and this time, Alya needed to look up to an older sister as well. She needed to this comforting hug, those words of praise and encouragement in her ears. She needed them now more than ever and so did Elrya, because the man they loved was completely dead. They should've kept him from coming, should've told him to stop following them and let them take care of Vladimir alone. But no, they had to keep that stupid promise of theirs and it cost Yin his own life. In this regard, they were both responsible for his death. The idea of that however was enough to put both of them into an emotional wreck and for Alya is was made even worse for now she was made to believe was responsible for not only her mother's death but her lover's death as well.

"_I killed him! I killed him! Oh god! It's my fault isn't it…"_

"_N-No…" _Elrya cried back, her own tears streaming down her face. She would deny anything that foolish, Alya was not responsible for his death. If they were going to die now, she would at least let Alya die with having such a horrible regret. _"It isn't your fault Alya…don't ever think of such a thing! Don't ever think of it one moment! Yin, Miriana, they would never want you to think of that!"_

"…_R-Really?"_

"_Yes! I know it! We made a promise to be by each other's side right? I'm not going to break that promise!"_

"…_Thank you Elrya…thank you…_

_Thank you…_

_Thank…"_

There was a sound, like sweet bells of a chime. It's calling her name, this beautiful sound. She wants to head to it, to this sweet sound that is calling her name. It sounds like her mother, offering salvation and love to a child who most desperately needs it. She wants to find it, this sound that is calling her name and was close. She can hear it, that chime calling towards her, calling her name again and again. Is it her mother, her loving mother that she carelessly killed in a blind fit of misunderstanding? Now she can apologize to her, tell her how sorry she truly is for killing her. Alya can do it too, and maybe her mother would forgive her.

"Elrya…"

It's closer…much closer…

"Elrya…!"

The voice is right on top of her…

"**PLEASE WAKE UP ELRYA!"**

* * *

><p>In a sudden flash of realization, of life and existence the girl's eyes shot open in a bloody spasm of pain and understanding. She laid on the ground, spread eagle, the twisted spear of Vladimir struck through her chest, the tip unable to get to her heart as Miriana desperately clutched at the pole, using all of her strength to keep Vladimir Cents from rupturing her heart. He held onto the spear with both hands, slowly but surely driving it into her chest, the red beating object mere centimeters from being gored and the death truly coming for her. Miriana was already on her knees, forcing her body to ignore the ungodly pain that surged through her. "WAKE UP ELRYA! ALYA! DON'T GIVE UP!"<p>

Vladimir roared triumphantly, pressing on harder against his enemy as he licked the blood from his lips, his chaotic eyes shaking with drunk victory. "HA! HA! HA! HA! NO CHANCE! NO CHANCE! STILL NOT ENOUGH! IT STILL ISN'T ENOUGH!" His roars were accompanied by a blood spitting choke from the victim below him, Miriana falling to her side, her hands desperately grasping the shaft with all of her might, too weak to stop him. Beyond hope, beyond redemption, Vladimir prepares himself to kill her! He rears back, excitement filling his features before Elrya's vectors flow out and grab the spear, slowly pushing it off of her. Not taking it, Vladimir in his inhuman strength pushes down hard, grinding the tip of the spear into her body again, spurting blood into the sky as Miriana screams out. "DON'T GIVE UP ELRYA! YOU NEITHER ALYA! PLEASE! PLEASE!

She pushes against him, her weakened vectors urgently attempting to keep the very tip from piercing her heart, the dark man of twisted lies cackling madly into the sky at the revelation of his own murderous intent! "KYA! HA! HA! HA! HA! NOT ENOUGH! IT ISN'T ENOUGH ELRYA ALYA! NOT ENOUGH! NOT ENOUGH! IT WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH!

HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!

The storm blows wild in this final moment, the winds kick violently and the rain flows through the gore-infested battlefield. Miriana cries her friends name again and again while Vladimir laughs on, preparing to finally end it once and for all. It all comes down to this, in the perfect epitome of the end with her life flashing before her eyes, Vladimir finally puts all of his force into his spear.

"**DON'T GIVE UP ELRYA ALYA!"**

And another vector shoots out to intercept the spear, keeping it from driving in any further. The First Cent, surprisingly bemused at such a change attempts to push it in deeper but another vector keeps it from happening. There is rage, undeniable rage shifting through her crimson eyes but there is also understanding and determination in it also. No, to say it was determination was only half correct, there was something more in it. Something that she prided herself in having, something that not even Vladimir's desires could overcome. That which made her continue, that which gave her the strength to go on.

Conviction!

Her conviction to live!

Her conviction to save others!

Her conviction to finally end it once and for all!

"Kuh! Guh!" Unable to keep it in, Vladimir's groans accompanied the loud squelching of flesh as the spear was torn out by the man vectors the front end snapped cleanly in half. Still utterly shocked, his body was bombarded by the swarm of killer hands, smashing him away to what remained of his one huge citadel. Jumping to her feet, her eyes flashed dangerously and took the spear in her physical hand, grinding her vectors into the dirt to give herself some momentum. This was it, it was time to end it right here, now and forever! For Yin's sake, for his memory she would make him pay! For his love she would show that sick bastard what happens when you dare to hurt the people she cared about. The ground exploded in a furious storm of wind and rain where at last she raced towards him for the final battle.

Conviction to win!

Conviction to take revenge!

That was what defined her, conviction!

Conviction to take the hefty broken spear in her hand and lave it travel behind her, her mouth opening up in a primal roar. Vectors started to wrap around the pole, their ghostly fingers grasping it tightly as she continue to go forward. Looking upon his enemy, Vladimir pulled out two of his black rods, the serrated edges gleaming evilly before her eyes.

Desires against conviction!

"Ahhhh…"

The scream grew…

"Ahhhh…!"

Louder as she got closer.

"GYAAAAAAAH!" Until it blocked all other sounds in the world. In ten steps full strides she would reach him.

1 step...her fingers gripped the weapon.

2 steps…her eyes narrowed with absolute determination.

3 steps…she forced all of her power possible into what remained in her vectors.

4. steps…she pinpointed the exact spot that she wanted to strike.

5 steps…she quickened her pace to the fastest that she could with her beaten body.

6 steps…Vladimir lunged forward, the two rods trailing behind him.

7 steps…Vladimir locked his cold gaze upon her as well.

8 steps…Vladimir raised his weapons above him.

9 steps. Vladimir brought them down in a furious implication of murder.

…

…

10 steps…the final strike was made.

"**GOODBYE AND GOOD RIDDANCE…VLADIMIR CENTS!"**

*BAM!*

* * *

><p>She used all of her energy, every single bit that she could muster in her weakened state and slammed the spear straight into Vladimir's chest. It did not tear through his organs, it did not reach his heart but it did hit something, something she had been aiming for from the moment they attacked each other. Eyes widening greatly, Vladimir Cents was blown backwards by the amazing force of the attack, the spear driving straight into his body and right into his spinal cord. In a singular instant his spine was severed, all feelings of movement in his lower body forever gone as he crashed into the wall of the broken citadel with the force of a bomb.<p>

"…_Have I been…defeated? Kah…Gah…ah! I can't feel my body anymore, my legs won't move no matter how hard I try. I see, so my spine was severed by her. How quaint…I've lost…how disappointing. But it has been extraordinary, I could not ask for a better end. Come now to me Elrya and finish this madman once and for all…"_

The cold rain splattered against her body as she walked towards Vladimir's fallen form, his body making random twitched but this time he wouldn't be getting up. The only thing he could do now is just crawl with his usable arms. Complete hate for the man who killed Yin, she was sure her body would probably faint soon but at right now, she had to truly end it here and now. Miriana watched as well, gazing inwardly at the conclusion of the fight before Elrya gave her a passing glance. Finally, she stopped before him, glaring down at his beaten and finally defeated form. Nothing but cold hatred for him, nothing but the most hideous of odium for this bastard.

**Kill!**

**Murder!**

**Destroy!**

And her vector slashed through the air.

…And shattered the stone rocks above Vladimir's head. This time, the man was entirely dumbfounded, almost certain that death was going to reach him. She clenched her fist, she ground her teeth and she screamed as loud as she could at him.

"I WILL NOT DO IT! I WON'T DO IT VLADIMIR CENTS!"

She held her vectors up, their fingers itching for the throat that murdered Yin but she did not go for the finishing blow. "You murdered him…you killed him before my very eyes and laughed. You hurt Miriana, even made her say something as mad as killing. You deserve to die, you deserve the worst possible fate imaginable. I won't do it though, I won't give you that satisfaction.

Go on and drag yourself back to whatever hole you crawled out of!"

Hissing the last words, she turned around walked away, back to Miriana to bring her home. At the very least she could do that, at the very least she would take care of Miriana herself. Vladimir, beaten, broken and defeat watched as the young Diclonius walked away from him.

"…_Heh...h-how quaint…she's leaving. I have killed her lover…hurt her family…and yet she's walking away. Ha…haha…hahahaha…how quaint. She's walking away from me, even though she was supposed to kill me. Wh-Why is she walking away from me though? Why are her hands not tearing my heart out? Why are her fingers not ripping my organs apart? I should not be alive. I should be dead now, accepting my glorious end in this ultimate form of suffering. So why did she not kill me? Why has she turned her back on me?_

_H-How quaint…"_

Vladimir's expression was changing, his smile was still on his face but it was stiff and his mouth twitched rapidly.

"…_Ah…Gah…Elrya…Alya…"_

His expression was finally changing.

"D-D…" His teeth were grinding together…

"D…Do…"

And finally Vladimir completely snapped.

'**DON'T YOU SCREW AROUND WITH ME!"**

No longer laughing happily, Vladimir Cents was completely insane with anger now. He reached into his pocket, pulling out not the pistol he had been using throughout the battle, but the rather unique gun that he used on Elrya Alya in their second battle during the Mariko incident. The young Diclonius managed to turn her head just in time for the specialized bullet to pierce into the side of her skull, connected by a thick wire that traveled into Vladimir's pistol. The opposite end of Vlad's gun opened up, shooting a similar ammo into his own head so that a surge of electricity shot through both of them, their body contorting and spitting up until finally relaxing. The girl collapsed to her knees, hate filling her heart as she turned to kill Vladimir once and for all.

"_I won't stand for this…"_

She stopped, hearing thoughts that weren't of Elrya or Alya's, but of Vladimir himself.

"Y-You bastard, what did you do to me!" Elrya cried out, clutching her head and shaking it fruitlessly.

"_What did I do? It's quite simple, I've implanted my own personality into yours. To be more precise, I have overtaken Alya's personality. I did not come this far just to be fucked around by you! You think I'd ever make it easy on you? I won't stand for it, I will not stand for this dreaming shit your trying to pull on me. Had you just gone and killed me, this wouldn't have happened, but now…I'm going to turn your life into the last little bit of hell that my short existence will allow. Do you know what that means?_

_I means the moment you kill me….Alya too will die as well!"_

!

"Wh-What!"

"_That's right…our minds are now attached to each other. This was the final trump card to give you perfect suffering. You dare to fuck with me and my desires, I will not stand for it! Now you're going to kill me, right here and right now!" _Vladimir roared at her both aloud and in her thoughts. Like hell she'd ever do something so idiotic, especially if it would kill Alya. "You bastard…like hell I'd ever do something like that!"

"…_Then I guess I have no choice then…" _Vladimir growled, taking his real gun and pointing it Miriana's fallen form. Elrya's heart nearly skipped a beat. "Y-You fucking asshole." At that point Vlad only laughed cruelly at her, his eyes flashing dangerously. _"I am incorrigible, I care for nothing about the lives of others. I'll do whatever it takes to make your life a living hell, even if it means killing myself. You see Elrya, outright killing someone is fun and all but it's never as good as the mental and emotional pain that you can force on people. Now let's see what that fucking conviction of yours can do in this situation! Either kill me and have Alya permanently erased from your mind or I'll blow a fucking hole straight through that brat's head."_

She couldn't believe it, he wasn't doing this!

"Vl-Vladimir! What do you want from me!"

"_I want to see you suffer…"_

"F-Fine then…I'm suffering! Please Vladimir stop this right now!"

"Elrya...I don't want to die…" Alya cried out as well, tears emerging from her eyes. Elrya was in control now, her vectors raised again but this time, if there was ever a time where she didn't want to kill, now was that time. She was shaking from head to foot, her body sweating and her mind about to crack under the pressure. _"In the end that conviction of yours is just another shitty dream that you rely upon. This is reality girl, there is no turning back on this point. I'm going to murder Miriana unless you do something but you know what, who said I'll stop there. If you don't kill me, after I shoot that bitch I may just go and shoot myself. GO ON THEN…LET'S SEE HOW GREAT THAT CONVICTION OF YOURS STANDS NOW!" _He roared at her, eyes popping madly as his trigger finger started to pull.

She could see Miriana opening her mouth in a silent scream.

She could see Vladimir finally about to shoot her, with no way to defend herself.

…Finally…she could see the look of utter despair that crossed Alya's face, standing there as she had before in their past. "…Elrya…please..."

…

…

"…_I will not forsake those who I have promised to help…"_

"…_Nobody should ever have to kill…it's so wrong…"_

"…_And Elrya just remember…I'll always be there for you…"_

…

…

"…_**At some point…you're going to have to wake up from your silly little dream…"**_

And so she screams, in horror, in pain and in regret as she finally make the ultimate, life changing decision. Her screams echo into the dark cloudy skies until her vector plunges into Vladimir's head, exploding his brain from the inside in one act of indefinable suffering. She continued to scream as tears spill from her face and her mind shattered in the very moment of her action. Cries of bloody pain, misery but most of all, of the betrayal that she felt for doing such a thing. Falling back, her mind broke and blew apart, all the good memories, all the memories she had of Alya were rushing through her in this final moment.

"AAAAAAGH!"

She can only scream aloud…

"ALYA!

Crying her name in one last act of forgiveness, as if to tell her memory that she didn't mean it. But there isn't any denying what she had done. No matter how hard she screams and cries the truth is there, forever and ever. No matter how hard she may try to deny what she had done, there is no changing the truth. Elrya falls to her knees, still crying shrilly to the sky, in despair her heart bursts into a thousand pieces before her destroyed conscious collapsed forward in a crying heap of utter disarray. For there is no denying the truth here, this is no lie at all. She will never be able to see her again, she will never be able to speak to her again. Elrya lost consciousness as but one thought crossed her mind….

"…**I killed Alya…"**

* * *

><p>Author's Note: At long last the battle has ended, but at what cost? What will happen next time on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p> 


	67. Lost Line Of Mentality

**Chapter 66: Lost Line Of Mentality**

The battle is finally over but at what cost? Can it truly be called a victory for the heroes when so much has gone down? In the end Vladimir was dead but can it be called a win? Yin and Alya were both dead, never to see the light of the sun, or the feel of grass or the sweet embrace of tenderly love. Vladimir Cents was dead, blood seeping out of the back of his head and lying on his back but with the faintest trace of a smile on his lips. He was dead but in the end, he had won. He had gotten the full and complete suffering out of this battle and had finally died contently with the hell he had created. It was a sight that a very weakened Miriana gazed upon with her own innocent eyes and finally lost her stomach to the sickening feeling of despair. Unable to keep herself propped up on her wounded leg, she fell forward, coughing and crying feebly.

"Ahhh…ugh…E-Elrya…?"

No answer, the young Diclonius was sprawled out on the floor, her eyes wide but empty and her mouth half open as a little bit of spittle ran down the right side of her mouth. Miriana felt so much pity for her, the poor thing who had lost not only her lover but a somebody akin to a sister to her as well. It must've been even harder; by killing Alya with her own hands she probably killed a part of herself as well. Unable to walk to her, Miriana crawled painfully over to her friend, until at last she hung over her body, unable to stop the tears from running down her face. Elrya's eyes weren't just empty, they were completely dead on the inside. If her chest hadn't been moving, she'd have assumed that she was dead as well. The young girl also noticed that Elrya's breathing was irregular, she would take random intakes of breaths.

Miriana couldn't tell why but Elrya had lost all sensibility of living. She didn't care about the world anymore, she didn't care about anything. What point was there when the people she cared for was dead, some of them murdered by her own hand? She physically stopped herself from breathing and it was only because of her body's natural reflexes that air was forced back into her lungs. "Pl-Please wake up Elrya…I need you." Miriana whined, pressing her face against Elrya's own and shocked at how cold she felt. With a look of distaste she glared at Vladimir's corpse, clicking her tongue and swallowing deeply. "A-Are you happy now Vladimir? You've gone and done it now."

Of course he didn't answer, but just the look of disgusting satisfaction on his face made her want to puke. The look of content on his face as Elrya suffered from his evil hit her so hard that the young girl grabbed the gun she had been using and started firing randomly at Vladimir's face. "Aaaaaagggghhhh! Stop it! Stop laughing! Stop laughing at her! Monster! Monster!" She screeched, blowing off his ears, his nose and finally that god forsaken smile. Yet even with his face an unrecognizable clump of meat, she felt as if his demented laughter was still ringing in her ears. Unable to hold the gun any longer, she threw it as hard as she could and collapsed forward, clutching her legs and whimpering unhappily.

* * *

><p>Roy and Bando sat rather uncomfortably in Garder's office, their heads finally turning to the open door as Garder walked steadily in and sat at his desk. Julius and Victoria were at the corners of the room, standing obediently for any orders that were given. "Well Garder…" Roy began, inclining his head to his direction. "…What exactly are we going to do here?"<p>

"…I have gotten a call from Kakuzawa, at this point he still believes that I am working for him and has no clue of my involvement. However at this point I will be stationed here at my facility, you along with Julius and Victoria will be freeing the Diclonius at the last facility."

The blue haired man nodded once before speaking again. "So you finally understand eh Garder?"

The old man narrowed his slit eyes sternly. "I am only allowing this to beat Kakuzawa. The Diclonius will be returned back to the facilities afterwards or I will kill them all one by one if I have to, and in case you haven't figured it out yet, I am more than capable of doing so." Roy wasn't about to argue on this case right now, right now beating Kakuzawa was on the top of the list. Garder knew he wouldn't agree with it but Roy also knew that it was best to ignore this until the time came. "We both know that when that time comes, we'll be against each other, but we both can agree that we need this help to beat Kakuzawa. However I have another idea…"

"Hm?" Garder mumbled curiously.

Roy clicked his tongue before continuing. "You plan to send not just I and Bando, but Julius and Victoria along to the third facility and save the Diclonius there and have them go to Osaka where we're all lining up. With Kakuzawa not at his own facility, it'll be easier to get the Diclonius from there. Of course with its defenses, it would be improbable for an unmarked person to enter. That isn't the case for you, you can get to his facility on your own and rescue the Diclonius from the inside of the facility. Lastly, while I and Bando are at Osaka, Julius and Victoria will head to the third facility, rescue the Diclonius there and we all meet up at Osaka to beat the hell out of that old bastard."

The old director folded his hands tightly, his eyes closing as he thought it over before Julius answered in his same emotionless tone. "It is a feasible idea sir, of course it's also one of time. We need numbers and if Kakuzawa breaks through the defenses of Osaka, a lot more Diclonius could be killed. I agree with Roy but we need to plan this out carefully."

Garder nodded, rising up from his seat he crossed the room to glare out the window of his office. "I'm impressed Synth, your tactical thinking would've be great in the war. Change of plans will be made then. I will send a message to Kakuzawa that he needs to take care of things at Osaka, I will then head to the Main Facility and…rescue the Diclonius from there." He said, putting a bit of strain on the word rescue as they all knew this was hardly a rescue mission to him. Nevertheless they all agreed, and the plan was set into action.

What was going on? How had things turned out so miserably now? Kakuzawa sat at his desk with his hands on his face, pseudo vectors slicing all around in frustration. Was everyone seriously trying to against God? Had it become some sort of joke to screw around with a divine and all powerful being? Who the fuck did these bitches and bastards think they were dealing with? "Shit! Shit! Shit! Huh?" Curing angrily, the Head director picked up the phone with one of his floating hands, answering it gruffly and damn well expecting some good news. His attitude changed for the better though when Garder's voice spoke from the other end of the line. He may be a worthless human, but he was one who knew his place and one he could count on in situations.

"Osaka you say? Those fools who dare to go against me! Ah yes I will deal with them personally. I knew I could count on you, when this is over, I may give you an honorary position as my own personal servant, not a slave, but a servant. I'll even let you live freely."

"Such kind words sir, I am in your debt…"

Hanging up the phone, Roy burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, his broad grin spreading over his face. "Nice one Perfect Soldier, now let's get this started!"

* * *

><p>She wasn't sure how long she had been dragging Elrya and herself through the barren wasteland, but it certainly felt like an inexplicably long amount of time. It hadn't stopped raining and thus the two girls were forced to trudge through the now muddy land scape, dirty and grime entering their bruises although Elrya was still out of her mind to even notice such things. Miriana, through pure spirit and will, kept herself from losing her mind, and forcibly dragged Elrya and herself through turmoil. "Elrya…please snap out of it. I know your still there, you have to still be there…please…<p>

…Please wake up…Elrya…"

Still no response, just a slackened girl who had lost her will to live being dragged along by her best friend in the hopes that somebody would help them. She regretted leaving Yin in such a horrible position, not even a proper burial was given to him but there was nothing that she could do about it. How she hadn't lost herself to the madness was beyond her, perhaps with the only person around who could still care for Elrya, she had to ignore that demented feeling of abyssal pain in her gut and keep herself motivated not for herself, but for Elrya. Besides, if she lost herself, if she decided to just stop living too, what point would their sacrificed have been? They came to rescue her, Yin and Alya both died for her sake, for the sake to rescue someone as weak and pathetic as her.

"…Please wake up Elrya…I don't know if I can do this alone."

…

…

"Gah…."

Turning around, Miriana nearly screamed aloud when she heard a soft moan coming from Elrya's mouth. "Elrya! Elrya! It's me Miriana! Are you alright? Wake up!" Yelling at her friend, Miriana couldn't help but a feel at least a small amount of happiness when the young Diclonius turned her head to look up at Miriana. "H-Hey Elrya..I'm glad your…" But before Miriana could even finish her sentence, Elrya pushed herself out of her arms, shrieking loudly and backing away several meters, she held her body tightly while starring fearfully at the multi-haired girl.

"E-Elrya what's wrong?" Miriana asked nervously, reaching out to soothe but the only thing it appeared to do what make the Diclonius shrill even more loudly and push herself away. She looked at Miriana as if she was some sort of monster, her eyes shaking with undeniable terror as if expecting Miriana to rush at her and attack without end. "Ahh…Hnnn…" She was on the verge of losing it and Miriana couldn't believe that she was acting in such a way. "It's alright Elrya, why are you so scared, I'm your friend Miriana." The young girl tried to proclaim, only getting a wild shake of the Diclonius' head for an answer.

"Not friend…" She muttered in a childish tone, still shaking her head. "Not friend…stay away…not friend."

"…Elrya?"

"GO AWAY!" The Diclonius screech loudly, holding self tightly and crying onto the wet and muddy ground. "Not friend…bad girl…not friend…" She said, repeating the words over and over again while Miriana just stared in disbelief. Just how much damage had Vladimir done to her mind to leave her in a states such as that. She wanted to comfort her, to hug her and tell her it was alright but even brining her hand close made the young girl scream and push herself away. "GO AWAY! GO AWAY! Bad girl…not friend…not friend…not friend." She continued to weep uncontrollably, a fine trail of spit running down her mouth and fingers clutching desperately at her hair.

"…I'm not going to hurt you…" Miriana tried to explain.

"LIAR! Bad girl hurt…Bad girl hurt…everyone hurt. Lies! Lies! Everyone lies!"

Was this the cruel treatment that Vladimir left upon her? Would Elrya forever believe that everything was a lie because of Vladimir. She clutched her knees, rolled to her side and sniffed loudly while desperately pushing herself away from Miriana who could only look at her as her heart sunk into her chest. "It's me Elrya…your friend Miriana. Why don't you recognize me? Please…"

"…Not friend…no one friend. Only one friend…"

"Oh? Is it Alya?"

"…Not friend…Alya lie…not friend…not friend. One friend…"

"Who?" Miriana asked nervously.

"…One friend…bad girl not friend…Alya not friend…not friend. All lies…one friend…friend is…Vladimir…"

"_**That's right little Elrya-chan, none of them but me will ever care about you…Keh! Heh! Heh! Heh!"**_

* * *

><p>Author's note: The physical battle may be over but the mental battle has only just begun. How will this play out in the next chapter of "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p>

R&R_**  
><strong>_


	68. Issues At Hand

**Chapter 67: Issues At Hand**

As if she hadn't heard her correctly, Miriana laid there on the ground with the most dumbfounded expression upon her small face. At first she thought she had misheard Elrya but it was hard to mishear something was spoke so clearly to her. She'd have accepted the idea that Elrya's mind was broken and that she had an extreme trust issue with people. It hurt her to know such a thing but it was something that she could accept. The last thing she expected or would accept that Elrya was now friends with the man who was responsible for the murder of both Yin and Alya. What was once pure shock escalated to unrestrained fury and once again the ugly side of Miriana shot forth like a rocket. She got up, her eyes ablaze with madness that did not fit her angelic form. He just wouldn't stop would he? Even in death, even when he was right there, on the ground with his entire face gone he still wouldn't give up would he?

"GET OUT OF HER!" She screeched, dragging her wounded body to the young girl who quickly scurried back, terror etched in her eyes.

"_**Look how mean she is Elrya-chan…certainly you don't want the bad girl to hurt you…"**_

Elrya shook her head hastily, backing up until she hit what was finally left of Vlad's citadel and huddled together so that she held her arms tightly around her legs. "Bad girl hurt Elrya…bad girl hurt Elrya. Hnnnn…"

"Stop telling her those lies!" Miriana cried out. "I'm not the bad girl Elrya, I'm your friend, Miriana! Don't you remember?"

"Not friend…Vladimir friend..."

She couldn't believe it; just what sort of sick game was he playing with her? He was dead, there on the ground, having not moved a single inch. "Elrya…please listen to me. I'm not going to hurt you…"

"_**Yes she will…"**_

"Hnnnn. B-Bad girl hurt Elrya…B-Bad girl hurt man…"

At this point Miriana was truly startled. "Wh-What are you talking about?" She asked fretfully, watching as the young girl pointed a finger at the deceased body of Yin Sandersas. "B-Bad girl hurt man. Bad girl killed man…" At those hurtful words, Miriana nearly lost herself. She crumbled on the ground, shaking her head wildly before bursting out in furious exclamation. "Lies! I didn't hurt him! Elrya how could you say such a thing! Vladimir stop telling her those lies! Get out of her mind! Get out of her soul! You have no right to do this…GAH!" Unable to take it anymore, Miriana forced herself to get up, teeth clenched together and used what little strength she had to walk towards Elrya who shrieked and pushed herself back against the wall. "Ah! Ahh! Bad girl hurt Elrya! Bad girl hurt Elrya!"

"_**She'll hurt you just like she hurt him…"**_

The young human girl felt something hot slice across her face, leaving a large slash mark and pushing her away. Of course she couldn't see it but if she had to guess, she had just had first taste of a vector. Elrya glared at her with anger and fear, holding her body as tightly as ever she hissed at Miriana. "…Not hurt Elrya. Bad girl not hurt Elrya. Bad girl stay away! Stay away!" She repeated again and again, leaving Miriana to whimper and swell tears in her eyes while crying up to the sky. "Leave her alone! LEAVE HER ALONE VLADIMIR CENTS! HAVEN'T YOU DONE ENOUGH ALREADY! YOU WON ALRIGHT! YOU WON! JUST LEAVE HER ALONE!"

"_**Look how ugly she is over there Elrya-chan. She's a danger to herself and everyone around her. Just look at those bodies over there, look at how she desecrated them. She's a real monster isn't she Elrya-chan? Don't let her get near you, or you'll end up like them!"**_

"Elrya not let bad girl come. Bad girl not hurt Elrya! Go away! Go away!" Yelling at her, Elrya pushed herself up and scurried away, leaving the weak and defenseless Miriana out in the cold rain. The only thing she could do was watch as Elrya ran away from her, her mind hurting and the bastard of a ghost exhausting her very soul. Elrya had come this far to rescue her from Vladimir Cents, in the end she had lost her best friend and lover to the King of Deceit. What kind of friend would she be if she didn't go off and help her in her time of need? This time the roles were reversed and Miriana promised, no matter how long it took, she would get her friend back from the clutches of darkness. "I won't leave you Elrya…not ever…"

And with those thoughts, she painfully dragged herself to where Elrya had run off towards, using all of her will not to keel over.

* * *

><p>"Alright listen up…" Roy called out to the crowd of young horned girls who attentively stood around him like an eager class. Some of the newer ones who had just arrived were in the back, nervously listening as expected. Obviously they were still unsure if this was really happening, or that a human was really trying to help them. The Osaka Diclonius residents however were at the front, waiting for whatever orders Roy gave them to save not only themselves but humanity as well. He had proven himself more than enough that he was willing to help them and so, they would do just the same for him. "…I, Bando…and a few other people…" Roy continued, thinking it was wise not to mention certain names that would cause the young girls to freak out. "…Have created a plan to rescue the other Diclonius from two other facilities, however it's going to be risky."<p>

"Don't worry bluey…"

"Don't call me that…" Roy growled.

"…Sorry. But we'll do whatever we have to help you!" One girl cried out happily. An outcry of agreement came from her.

"Great…because in few short minutes, Kakuzawa will be heading this way."

!

The cheers died almost instantly. Some of the Diclonius were looking rather timid, and some shuffled their feet uncomfortably. "…Wh-What?" One in the back inquired nervously. This was an entire different thing than they had been expecting. With his pseudo vector machine, it was all but impossible to even reach Kakuzawa, they barely managed to push him back and he still murdered a good 50 of them at the Kyoto facility. Roy had expected this and for one of the few times their childish fear was well accounted for. Kakuzawa might have been a hellishly annoying old bastard, but he was a bastard with a massive sphere that could take on an army. "What the hell do you expect us to do against him!"

"Quiet you…" Roy hissed, throwing his head back and gazing at the sky, letting his mind clear up. "Right now we can't beat Kakuzawa even with all of us here, and before some of you newbies start bitching at me let me finish."

"What's a newbie?" One asked curiously.

"…"

"…I'll be quiet now."

"Good. It's like this, Kakuzawa is coming this way, and we don't have anything to stop him unless we just get hellishly lucky. However holding him back is a completely different story. I'm going to need the combined efforts of all of you to keep him at bay. I have my trust in all of you so don't disappoint me! At the same time, others will be getting the Diclonius from the other facility and bringing them over here." Roy said, quickly thinking to himself as he scrutinized over the horizon. "…In fact the Diclonius at Garder's facility should also becoming soon too. He'll have let them out by now. That'll put our numbers to at least 400. We can definitely keep Kakuzawa back with. Once the other two facility Diclonius come, our numbers would be at least 700. I hope that with such a large amount on our side, we can crack that damn shell of his once and for all."

It was true, the world had been wide and filled with those horned girls, most of them having been captured and retained in the facility. There were 5 facilities total, the first two had 100 Diclonius in them. The third had a 150 Diclonius stationed in the dark cells of its basement. Garder's facility, the second largest had a total of 200 young pink haired girls residing inside its walls. Lastly, Kakuzawa's facility held a total of 250 Diclonius. This accounted for nearly 800 Diclonius together, all of them found throughout the small island nation of Japan. Unfortunately out of that 800, nearly 100 had been slaughtered by either Garder or Kakuzawa. Still, it left them hopefully enough to finally beat and kill Kakuzawa and give the young children the freedom and peace they most certainly deserved. It wasn't just the Diclonius either that were working together, Garder, Julius, Victoria, all of them were also in this together even if they did have slightly different agendas.

They were ready, for those who were unsure about Roy's plan, the other Diclonius were instantly on them to explain that he could be trusted. He and Bando would stay at Osaka, doing whatever they could to help before the blue haired man turned and left to see a very specific person. He didn't have to go far thankfully, the small hospital was just two blocks away.

* * *

><p>"Yo, how is she doing?" Roy asked a young nurse, her hair tied up and looking at her clip board and gasping at his sudden arrival. She greeted him before taking him to the lowest end of the hospital room, to the last room that hung out on the left side. Stepping in, Roy saw young Nirlinya sleeping in the bed, multiple wires and tubes sifting through her body. "Physically she's fine…" The nurse said, monitoring her body in a daily routine. "…We removed the bullet from her head when she arrived and luckily there hasn't been any collateral damage. It's not just that either, her body has miraculously been healing itself."<p>

"As expected…" The blue haired man mumbled, Bando himself merely crossing his arms and looking angry as he always did. Roy bent down, starring at her face and her closed eyelids. "But she still hasn't woken up has she?"

The young woman shook her head sadly. "No, this is something she has to deal on her own, with her own will power. Right now she is physically healthy, no wounds or problems with her body. She's still in a coma though and there's no telling when she'll wake up. We'll keep monitoring her though and do whatever we can to wake her up. However, there's not much we can do at this point. Once again it's all up to her if she has the courage and will power to finally wake back up. Also I have to ask, what happened to the young girl who brought her to us? I can still remember how pitiful she looked, practically begging all of to save this young girl's life."

"Ilya…?" Roy muttered morbidly. "She's dead. She died trying to protect not only her kind but your kind as well. So right now Nirlinya is not suffering from any physical wounds right?"

"That is correct, that…amazing healing of her species has nursed all of her wounds although she's pretty lucky to even be alive right now. It's as I said, this is just a battle she has to fight on her own now."

Roy stepped back, looking longingly at her face and then at the broken watch that hung by her neck. She looked so peaceful there, eyes closed and mouth slightly open as her chest heaved up and down with each breath. Before her eyes had been filled with bloody insanity and obsession for that demented director. Now Roy could actually see some resemblance to her sister in her, same cheekbones, same eye shape and even the same chin. He could only imagine the good times they had shared together and was momentarily reminded of his own deceased son. It was Vorono's desire to save those poor souls trapped in the facility, he was sure it was Orlana's desire to at least have her own sister protected.

"Yo Bando…wake her up." Roy said snidely.

"U-Uh sir…" The nurse began, looking worried. "This isn't something that any of you can do right now. It's up to her…"

"Just shut up and let me work. Besides if this fails then I'll just step back, let me see what I can do." Bando growled, bending over the young girl and touching her face rather tenderly. "Yeah…yeah…yeah. Brats out cold like a lamp without a battery. Alright…" He began to mutter under his breath, taking a piece of sanitary cloth from the room he began to dab at the girl's forehead lightly. Gently lifting the girl's head up, Bando checked around her ears as if trying to see if there was anything wrong with her. Apparently satisfied, he gave a few grunts of acceptance before slowly placing his thick hands on her shoulders. "Yeah…yeah this should work out quite well. You'd have thought she'd have woken up by now. Bah, I can't believe I'm even doing this for one of you horned freaks. Lost my damn mind long ago. So then…

WAKE UP BITCH!"

Before swinging her straight out of the bed, much to the utter shock of the nurse and slammed her head first into the ground. The effect was instantaneous.

"OW!" Nirlinya cried out in pain, rubbing her head and trying to stop the tears from rolling down her face. "Owie! Owie! Ah, what was that for!"

"Are you stupid sir!" The nurse cried out. "You could have killed her!"

"She's awake isn't she?" Bando asked in a matter of fact tone, shrugging his shoulders indifferently. The young woman merely starred incredulously at him then at Roy who merely gave the same shrug as if to say "He's right you know, she is awake." Unable to take any more of it, she swooned and fell back into her chair, placing her hand on her sweaty brows. "There you go Roy, I woke her up, can I leave now, staying in a room with a horned girl makes me angsty…"

"Is angsty even a word?" Roy asked.

"Shut the fuck up…I didn't do well in English."

"But we're in Japan…"

"…Shut the fuck up I'm drunk…" Bando growled, leaving the room before the conversation could get anymore awkward. The blue haired man told the young nurse to leave as well, leaving just him and a very dazed Nirlinya who finally managed to push herself back on the bed, still rubbing her sore forehead.

"Welcome back to reality girl…have a good nap?"

She waited a moment before answering, looking around the room and then back at Roy. "…Y-You're from the facility, that armless blue haired guy. Wh-Who are you again?" She asked timidly, as she waited for an answer, she found herself touching the broken Clock Stopper hanging from her neck. "The names Roy, Roy Synth. I don't know if you remember but you were shot by Morotisan and was taken here in extensive care. It hasn't been that long but you have been out for a while, the doctors here have been doing their best to take care of you." Roy responded, leaning back against the wall and licking side of his lips before continuing. "…Do you remember everything?"

"…Yeah." Nirlinya said solemnly, apparently unable to look at Roy, perhaps because of regret or disappointment. "…That bastard betrayed me, even though I thought he was…"

"Kakuzawa's been screwing a lot of people around lately, no need to get upset over it Nirlinya…"

"Don't call me that." The girl uttered coldly. "I won't go by that hideous name that he gave me anymore. My true name is Carentorzulan Zeruda…" She stopped, noticing the rather awkward look that Roy was giving her until his dumbfounded expression finally got on her nerve. "Wh-What do you have a problem with my name or something?" she yelled angrily. Roy fidgeted a bit before replying. "…Ehhh, your other name was a bit easier to pronounce to be honest. Seriously what kind of name is that?"

"Hmph. If you must know, my sister and I are from Turkey."

Once again Roy just stared blankly at her before speaking. "Are you sure that's a Turkish name? Eh whatever, can't judge a book on its covers. I noticed your skin tone isn't as light as the other Diclonius so who I'll just agree with you. Do you mind if I call you Caren for short, your name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue that well."

"Hmph. Maybe some people find your name hard to pronounce."

"…It's Roy…Roy Synth. It's two freaking syllables, trust me, you'd have to be a complete idiot to mispronounce it."

"Hmph…whatever." She uttered, looking away and crossing her arms. The blue haired man sighed deeply, flexing his shoulders and starring out the window. "It's kind of hard to believe your Orlana's sister." He said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath in. "If you're from Turkey, how on earth did you get caught up in this whole mess with Kakuzawa? It must have been some time ago because I've been working with your sister for about 7 years right now."

"…When I was just a little girl, Orlana took me to see Japan. We're just supposed to have fun, looking at all the things around Kamakura…and then." She stopped, her bottom lip trembling and Roy stopped her. He had a good idea what probably happened next. Some of Kakuzawa's men had captured Caren and put her in Kakuzawa's facility. Therefore, Orlana decided to become an assassin, perhaps hoping to earn enough money through means in which she could bribe her sister out. "Did you get along well with your sister?" Roy finally asked a loud. The young Diclonius looked a little heartbroken, not because of bad blood but just because it was still a bit much for her to think of the person she cared most about. Unable to answer yet, she gave a shaky nod of her head. "H-How exactly do you know my sister"

"…The only side of Orlana I know, and perhaps the rest of us, was the stern and cold side that she showed. Do not think badly of your sister, but I, her and a whole group of other people were assassins who killed other people for our own desires. For some of us, like me, it was all about money, for others…it was sometimes a bit more twisted. I can't say we were friends but I certainly respected her and needless to say the first time we got into a fight, she kind of kicked my ass. There was a reason she was originally the third rank in our group. I never saw her smile, she just did her job like a professional so I wouldn't know the good side in her. Sometimes, looking at you, I think maybe I can see a part of Orlana that wasn't shown to us. I'm pretty sure that Orlana died trying to save you, since she couldn't do it, I made a promise to keep her desire and make it my own."

"…Sister always carried a watch like this…" Caren muttered slowly.

"Aye…that was her weapon, an illusionary watch. It was quite annoying when we first went against it, once again there's a reason she was ranked higher than me. I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to accept that your sister is dead. I'm sure she wouldn't want you to mope around like some little lost girl forever. We're all going against Kakuzawa, the more we have on our side, the better and…"

She raised her hand to stop him. "Of course I'll help, I'll take him down myself if I have to."

At that moment, a young horned girl burst into the room, scaring the daylights of Caren and startling Roy. "Oi! What's the rush girl, is Kakuzawa here now?" Roy asked hesitantly, noticing the girl's scared look. She gave a few nods of her heads but was too anxious to speak until after a couple of seconds. "Y-Yeah, he's here, he's coming over right now but…shit. We couldn't even feel their presence when they came."

"You mean Diclonius? He brought back up?"

"Y-Yeah…about a thousand…"

"…Ah shit…" Roy grumbled.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: While Miriana goes out to save Elrya, Roy and the others are about to face quite a problem. Dealing with Kakuzawa was one thing, but to deal with a thousand other Diclonius? Things just got a lot more hectic than they had planned. What will happen next time on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p> 


	69. Indisputable Genocide

**Chapter 68: Indisputable Genocide**

Kakuzawa stood just 5 kilometers away from the bustling and Diclonius filled city of Osaka, his beady eyes narrowing with twisted joy. He calmly held his hands in his pockets, letting the wind blow his clean suit and pants gently. The Head director wasn't even wearing his wig anymore, such things were no longer needed for God, and he had to show himself in his true form after all. They would watch and lose their sanity to his almighty presence and then, oh he would destroy them all for their treachery. All the humans in Osaka would die; he'd send his peers, his kind, his true loyal followers to slaughter all of them on the spot, although he did want Roy and Bando to be left for him. Before they die, they would know what it meant to go against God and they would pay for their insolence. On each side of him was a young Diclonius girl, the last two clones of Mariko, Diana and Alicia. Like obedient dogs they stood by his side, their eyes blankly starring in front of them.

Behind him, like a group of trained soldiers, 1,000 Diclonius lined up, their faces hidden behind the strange white helmets that Kakuzawa was known for putting on them in his facility. Widening his grin, he raised his hand to the sky, motioning them to walk forward of which they did both blindly and obediently. The action made Kakuzawa laugh aloud, his elderly voice cackling loudly into the sky. 1,000 clones created by Nousou in an attempt to create the perfect clones of Mariko. Out of those 1,000, only 4 had been moderately successful. Barbara and Cynthia of course had been killed at the facility in Osaka along with their creator Nousou, but the last two, Diana and Alicia were by his sides, forced to obey every order they heard due to the chip implanted in their foreheads. The same went for the clones, unable to decide for themselves, they obeyed their false god without word or hesitation. That was the way it should be, ones must not question God.

They walked, slaughtering anybody in their way but keeping on the direct path towards the entrance of the city. Stopping just outside the outskirts of the major metropolis, a bustling amount of movement was made by some of the people who bravely stood at the front, holding objects from guns to house hold appliances. It was a brave scene, showing the determination of the people in Osaka but of course it was also a dead and useless attempt at trying to stop him. "FOR THOSE WHO GO AGAINST GOD…" He began, his voice high and loud as if to proclaim his superiority not only to Osaka but the entire world as well. "…YOU WILL PAY FOR SUCH INSOLENCE! YOU WILL ALL GO TO HELL, DOWN TO THE LOWEST PITS WHERE YOUR KIND BELONGS! HELL AWAITS ALL OF YOU AND MY GLORIOUS KIND WILL RULE FOREVER! WHEN WE DIE, WE SHALL ARISE TO HEAVEN, FOR ONLY THE GREAT DICLONIUS ARE ALLOWED IN HEAVEN WITH GOD!"

"…I may shoot myself…" Roy uttered, seriously wishing he hands just so he could cover his ears.

"BUT THE DICLONIUS WHO HAVE BEEN BRAINWASHED BY THESE FOOLISH HUMANS MAY STILL BE FORGIVEN! JOIN GOD! JOIN GOD AND STAND BY HIS RIGHTFUL SIDE AND PURGE THE WORLD OF THESE FILTH!"

"…He wasn't this loud when I knew him…" Caren said, covering her own ears and trying not to vomit.

"COME NOW MY TRUE KIN! COME NOW AND STAND BEFORE BESIDE YOUR GOD! I AM GOD! I AM THE TRUE GOD OF THE WORLD! STAND BESIDE ME, PURGE THE WORLD OF THESE FILTHY HUMANS! COME NOW!"

There was absolutely no movement from any of them, nobody came up front, nobody came from the side, there was no mass movement from the inside of the city where dozens of Diclonius were supposed to come and listen to his voice. The only movements that were made was from the stern expressions that crossed everyone's face. However there was some movement forward, there were movements from some of the Diclonius who lightly pushed their human comrades away and stepped in front as protection. The mad director cleared his throat, speaking in the same obnoxiously loud tone had he had before. "WHAT IS THIS FOOLISHNESS! WHY DO YOU STAND BEFORE YOUR GOD! I AM GOD, KAKUZAWA, GOD OF ALL THINGS IN THE WORLD! I AM ABOVE THESE MEAGER HUMANS AND I OFFER YOU SALVATION!"

"Hey Kakuzawa, allow me to clarify something for you." Roy said, stopping the man in his speech much to the joy of everyone else. "None of us…give a rat's ass…"

"HOW DARE…"

"SHUT UP!" Roy roared, his expression darkening greatly. "I and all of us are getting fed up with that obnoxious voice of yours! Here's the fact, use whatever brain is in that horned head of yours and listen up. None of us care, see these Diclonius, they aren't going to come to you! If you had shown a little compassion, a little love, a little decency, things would be different. Seriously I don't think I know of any person more annoying than you. Fuck at least Vladimir paid me for my work, have to give the wife murdering bastard that at least. But you, there isn't a goddamn thing I like."

"Nice one Roy so what's the plan?" Caren asked.

"Run…" He whispered.

She gave a long and painful look. "R-Run? What kind of idea is that?" She asked before noticing that Roy was sweating rather badly. "None of us are giving up, we'll keep fighting to the very end." She continued, some of the closer Diclonius nodding their heads when they heard her. Roy however shook his head before licking his lips nervously. "All of you need to get out of here, separate and escape. We had no idea that this many Diclonius would be joining Kakuzawa, we'd get absolutely slaughtered. This isn't about being brave or showing your worth, you all need to survive. The thing is we need a large amount of people, or in this case Diclonius like you against Kakuzawa to help break his shield. If too many of you die, then we're going to be screwed."

They understood the idea but there was also something that they were worried about. "Wh-What about the people here though? All the humans that are here who have accepted us, who will protect them?" The closest girl to Roy's left side inquired heftily, noticing the long glare that the blue haired man gave to the twisted director. He swallowed deeply as if it pained him to say what he was about to say. "…A lot of people are probably going to die…" He muttered coldly, letting his bullets float before him but compare to the vast army they were facing, it seemed rather pathetic in comparison. It took a bit for the other Diclonius not to attack him in a blind rage and the vicious growl for an answer that came from his statement wasn't surprising at all.

"How dare you say that. We've finally been accepted, wouldn't we just be monsters like they've called us if we let these humans die? They've taken care of us, accepted us, how could we betray them like that?"

"Kuh…" Roy had a hard time answering that not because he couldn't but because he knew that they were right. "I'm sorry, the entire plan was to keep Kakuzawa at bay until our back up arrived. You see, if all the Diclonius that we expected were to come, we would have at least 700 on our side if no casualties were to emerge. We need that number, and then again, we may need more than that, it's only estimation. But a thousand Diclonius against us, I'm sorry but if you guys fight them you're going to die and our much needed numbers will fall into the sewers. I was confident that if it was just Kakuzawa alone we could hold him back, but there's…just no way we can deal with these numbers."

"Boy…!" Kakuzawa called out, giving a heinous grin? "Are you done talking over there, shall I start speaking again? Your anger is understandable, low life scum often do not understand their place. "SO NONE OF YOU WILL HUH? HAVE YOU ALL BECOME SO DELUDED THAT YOU DO NOT ANSWER THE CALL OF GOD? I OFFER YOU SALVATION, GLORIOUS SALVATION FOR ALL DICLONIUS…COME! COME TO ME! YOU NIRLINYA…" The old man roared pointing his finger at the young Diclonius girl who stepped back in alarm. "YOU ARE MY MOST TRUSTED SERVANT! MY MOST TRUSTED OF ALL DICLONIUS! YOU HAVE NOT BEEN WITH THEM, YOU HAVE BEEN CONSPIRAING AGAINST THEM! JOIN ME MY GIRL! JOIN GOD AND STAND BESIDE THE GREAT KAKUZAWA!"

"…No."

"Huh?" He still had his sick smile on, but it was plain and confused. He cleared his throat, obviously using such a voice took its effect on him and he said in a lower and for the rest of them, much less annoying voice. "Did you just deny me child? Did you just deny God? I must…"

She stopped him, interrupting his speech. "Fuck off old man, the only thing you've done is lie to me. I thought you were actually trying to help me but I was wrong. Also, my name isn't Nirlinya, its Carentorzulan Zeruda, younger sister of Orlana Zeruda."

"…Then all of you…are going against God eh? Only these behind me are truly worthy of following me. Only these 1,000 will obey the rule and command of God. It is quite a shame when the world must lose so many valuable souls who are too corrupted by humans. ALL OF YOU TAKE TO THE SIDES AND SURROUND THEM!" He screamed, raising his hand as his pawns obediently obeyed without question, some of them rushed and some launched themselves into the air, soaring through sky like birds of prey and landing. Before long they were surrounded, Roy grinding his teeth in frustration as the concept of running away was now nullified. Kakuzawa apparently realized this because he burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter and screech in his arrogantly proud voice. "NONE OF YOU WILL RUN AWAY! ALL OF YOU WILL BE CONDEMENED TO HELL FOR HIGH TREASON! ONLY THE TRUE GLORIOUS DICLONIUS WILL BE ALLOW TO FOLLOW ME! HOWEVER I AM A LITTLE KIND…

…I will give you all 60 seconds to pray…although…Kahahahaha…God will not answer them…59…58…"

Bando took his gun out, his teeth grinding angrily together. He took aim but even he knew he was going against the worst odds possible right now. "What now Roy, got any bright ideas?" The Sniper shook his head, glancing around at the swarm of clones that circled them, making it impossible for escape except for perhaps a few numbers. What he saw was only a few hundred, most certainly there were others surrounding the city, ready to murder anybody who came in their way. "F-Fuck! I really don't have a damn clue…" He growled, genially getting worried now. "Damn it, of all the times we need back up we need it now. Where is Garder with those Diclonius from his facility, they should be here by now!"

"32…31…30"

Now they were getting worried, what could they do? What could they do in a situation as bleak as this? Nothing, there was nothing they could do in this situation. The only thing they could do was wait for the inevitable. "R-Roy…I have a small idea…but I don't know if it'll even work." Caren muttered. "Anything goes now…" Roy replied back hastily.

"A-Alright but it'll take some time…"

Roy clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Time isn't something we have right now? Do what you have to but by seriously, make it quick. Come on Bando, we have work to do…" The blue haired man said seriously, his partner clicking his gun in anticipation and stepping forward.

"…Your time is up my true kin…" Kakuzawa said loudly, once again raising his hand as the clones got into position. "KILL ALL OF THEM!"

* * *

><p>Timid and scared, Elrya innocently walked through the taverns of a local area, unable to read the signs or understand the dialect of the people around her. She wasn't sure how long she had been walking only that Vladimir had told her to keep going despite how much it hurt her body to do so. When she couldn't go another step, she collapsed on the streets, breathing heavily and crying as pain racked her body. "It hurts…" She moaned, holding her arms and nursing her own wounds by licking them as if she were some sort of animal. Looking around, she noticed that some people were giving her strange looks, often backing away and uttering words she still couldn't understand.<p>

"_**Look at them Elrya-chan, look at how they gaze at you with disgust? Do you know what they're doing? They want to hurt you!"**_

Whimpering, she backed up against one of the brick walls. "Not hurt Elrya…not hurt Elrya. Go away…"

"_**They're going to hurt you, they'll take you by your neck and SNAP IT IN TWAIN!"**_

"…N-No! N-Not hurt Elrya! Elrya not want get hurt by bad people! Go away! Go away!"

"_**They're not going to go away unless you make them go away! You already know what you have to do. They'll hungry for you, once they beat you around senseless, they cut you up like a delicious roast. Oh some of them look hungry for sex, they'll violate you as well. Do you want that dear little Elrya-chan? Do you want them to rape you? That's what they're going to do to you while you lay their all weak and defenseless. It won't be quick either, they'll make it as slow and as painful as possible."**_

Poor Elrya was about to lose it, before she just saw a bunch of odd people, now she saw hungry monsters trying to violate her poor body. All she saw now were looks of satiation for her, ready to hurt and rape her nonstop until she finally stopped breathing. "No! No! Go away! Go away bad people! Not hurt Elrya! Not hurt Elrya! Hnnnn! Ahhhh! Ah! Ah! Ahhhhh!" Eyes shaking wildly, she kept rapidly pushing herself against the wall as if hoping it would collapse and she could just keep crawling backwards. She screamed as loud as she could when one of them came forward, in her mind a man about to rape and kill her for his own sick amusement. "GO AWAY! GO AWAY BAD MAN! NOT HURT ELRYA! NOT HURT ELRYA…Ah…hnnnn!" Unable to take it anymore, she fell to her knees and clutched her head, her finger nails tightly gripping the flesh of her face and started to claw at herself in utter despair.

"_**What are you going to do Elrya-chan? They're going to rape and kill you…" **_Vladimir uttered inside her head, ending his statement with short chuckle. _**"Do you want to get raped and murdered? There's just one thing you can do and you know what that is yourself…"**_

"…E-Elrya…hurt them?" She asked timidly.

"_**Heh…it's either that or get hurt yourself. Oh look! One of them is coming now, he's going to hurt you! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!"**_

"NO! DON'T HURT ELRYA! DON'T HURT ELRYA! AHHHHH!" Unable to take anymore, she shrieked highly, her voice blaring on everyone's ears until with one massive swing of a single vector she sliced the poor people who had been attempting to help her in half. Words may have been spoken differently but there was one sound that was equal in all parts of the world, screaming. Screaming from the residents as they saw the people butchered in a grotesque manner, their upper bodies sliding off from their lower and plopping mundanely to the ground, some even twitching uncontrollably. The Diclonius cried, hacking and slashing at everything in her direction as Vladimir Cents laughed sadistically inside of her head.

"_**KYA HA HA HA HA HA! I wonder how long we'll keep this up? Is this the true form of perfect suffering that I have desired for so long? I admit even I didn't expect things to come this far? I am dead yet more alive than I have ever been before! Look at all of them, screaming and suffering! Look at how Elrya suffers, I love screwing with her! It's splendid! **_

_**SPLENDID!**_

_**How long will it last?**_

_**How long will all of this last?**_

_**Will it be for eternity? Wouldn't that be great?**_

_**KA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! **_

_**Yeah…?" **_He finally mumbled as Elrya began talking to him so that he broke away from his own thoughts. "Not hurt Elrya…Elrya…hungry." Indeed her wounded stomach was now growling at her which also reminded her of another thing. "Still hurts…Elrya still hurts." Of course Vladimir knew that what Elrya needed was some medical help but being his usual sadistic self he wasn't going to give her any of that satisfaction. However some food would be nice, he didn't care about her life but if she went and keeled over in a boring manner it would makes things difficult for him. _**"There's nothing you can do about those wounds. However I must agree, getting something to eat should be nice. Go and get something to eat…oh and if anybody comes in your way…kill them. They all want to hurt you."**_

"All of them?" She asked.

"_**Heh..that's right. They all want to hurt you, just like that girl who killed Yin Sandersas…"**_

"Hnnn! B-Bad girl hurt man…"

* * *

><p>Blood, splattering the ground, splattering the windows and splattering faces for both the killer and killed as the clones ripped and tore apart every foolish person that stood in their way. Most of the Diclonius were on the offensive, doing their best to protect the humans and the others. Roy and Bando shot wildly, their bullet flying in every possible direction as Roy did his best to keep them at bay. Most of the girls though pushed him back, determined that he keep away from the majority of the fighting while they attacked the clones themselves. At one point Roy got a good look under the clone's metal mask and almost lost his lunch. They may have had human bodies but their faces were so disfigured that the only discernable part was their eyes and even those were messed up. Their mouths were twisted at a lopsided angle, some of them didn't even have noses and those that did were smashed and flattened against their faces. Their scalps bulged out and their ears were swollen and off centered.<p>

For every 1 clone that they killed 10 of the Diclonius trying to help humanity were slaughtered as well. "Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!" Roy couldn't help himself, sweating and cursing, he wasn't sure how they were supposed to get out of this mess. He watched with grief as he saw the girls being torn apart by the clones, somehow deeply reminded of his own son and how he was so powerless to stop his death or his hate for him. Therefore he vowed to keep fighting for their sake, for the desires of Vorono and Orlana whom could no longer follow theirs. But with no chance to escape, the only they he and everyone else could do is attack and defend and just hope for a miracle.

"Damn little brats! Bring it on!" Bando roared, firing rapidly into the hordes of girls and taking out some but unlike Roy who could use his bullets at any time, he was starting to run out. The streets were being swarmed by the clones, humans screaming in agony as their bodies were torn apart in a heartbeat. In the center of it all, laughing like the madman that he was, Kakuzawa gleefully watched as the world turned read. "DIE! DIE! DIE! ALL THOSE WHO GO AGAINST GOD MUST DIE! DIE! DIE! ALL OF YOU WILL BE SENT TO HELL SO THAT YOU MAY BE PUNISHED FOR ETERNITY! I AM GOD! I AM GOD! I AM THE PERFECT, MOST ABSOLUTE, MOST POWERFUL BEING IN THE WORLD! I AM GOD! PERISH YOU FOOLISH HEATHENS! PERISH AND AS YOU FALL TO THE DEPTHS FEAST YOUR EYES ON GOD AS HE STANDS ABOVE YOU!

I AM GOD!

I AM GOD!

Then a moment of pause, a brief moment of peace as both groups backed up and Kakuzawa came forward smirking at the bloodshed before him. On his side, about 20 of the clones had been killed, on their side; at least 60 were in pieces before him. "DO YOU SEE NOW YOU DELUDED FOOLS! YOU ARE DICLONIUS AND YET YOU SIDE WITH THE WEAK! WHAT SORT OF THOUGHTS GO THROUGH YOUR HEAD AS DISAGREE WITH GOD! I AM GOD, ALMIGHTY, ALL POWERFUL, I AM PERFECT! PERFECT BODY, PERFECT MIND! I OFFER YOU SALVATION AND YOU DENY IT!

MUST I SAY IT AGAIN!

I AM GOD!"

"Must…resist…killing myself…" Bando grumbled, staggering forward and taking three shots there deflected before dropping his useless gun. "Tsk…son of a bitch. I can't believe I got myself caught up in all this! I swear if I die before I can put a hole in that bitches head, I will drag you all to hell with me. Guh…"

"Oh ho!" The Head Director laughed, raising his eyebrows. "Is this a last ditch effort to stop us? You don't even have a gun anymore human."

Bando spat on the ground, tightening his newly fixed metal fingers and growling under his breath. "Like I need a fucking gun to take you and these pussy ass bitches out. I'll fucking kill em' all with my bare hands!"

Most of the Diclonius stepped back as Bando tightened his fists even more, the metal circuits squeezing so that the churning of wires could be heard. Roy stepped back as well, letting his bullets float and desperately hoping that Bando could allow enough time for Caren, Victoria, Julius and Garder to get things done. That's what this was all about, to gather them a little time, Bando was challenging Kakuzawa and his entire clones so that they wouldn't kill the other Diclonius. Although, with his pride and arrogance, he really did plan on taking on 980 Diclonius on at the same time. Kakuzawa as before raised his hand and made the motion for the Diclonius to slaughter him.

"DUMBASSES! DON'T LOOK DOWN ON ME!" The ex-SAT member roared, making a mad dash to the middle of annihilation.

* * *

><p>"I will…save her…<p>

I will…save Elrya…

…Haa…Haa…Haa…can't give up. I will save her…I will save my friend."

It was the only thing that kept her going, it was the only thing that kept a broken and nearly dead Miriana from giving up. She couldn't walk, the only she could do is drag her derelict body across the ground, using her moderately good leg to help push her along. She vomited many times, held her side and screamed loudly when the pain hit feverish pitches. Yet she didn't give up, she used all of her will power to keep going. "I'll stop you Vladimir…I'll stop you…haa…haa…haa…I'll stop you. I won't let you h-hurt my friends anymore. Ugh! Argh!

I w-won't let you hurt Elrya…anymore…"

In the distance she could the roofs of buildings and after vomiting and shaking in pain for the fifth time, she urged herself over there. "F-Fight him Elrya, I know you're still in there somewhere. Pl-Please, fight back! Ugh! Gah! I know you can do it, I know you beat him! Don't let him control you! Pl-Please…"

She continued to crawl, ignoring the taste of vomit in her mouth, doing her best to ignore her veins which were surging with pain. She willed herself forward, all of the stake of saving and protecting the person who had first come to save her. She had to save her. She had to save Elrya from that bastard whom even in death made it his life's purpose to make her and everyone else suffer. "E-Elrya…"

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Chapter completed and needless to say our heroes are in quite a pinch. Not only in Japan but outside of it as well. Elrya, having had her mind broken by Vladimir is forced by the twisted man to commit mass killings just for his own sick amusement. Meanwhile, desperate to save her, Miriana drags her beaten and broken body to what she can only hope is her friend's location. What will happen next on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p> 


	70. Unstoppable Force Of Reckoning

**Chapter 69: Unstoppable Force Of Reckoning**

The only thing that came from the burly soldier was a vicious roar of power and authority, his boots slamming heavily into the ground. His vision was yellow and blurry, his cybernetic hand weak and faulty, his pride at points disoriented and beaten. Yet his strength only augmented with each and every step that he took. In only a few short strides he was upon them all, the horde of mindless killers with invisible, swift, death bringing hands that shot towards him for the soul purpose of ending his life in a heartbeat. The strongest, he was undoubtedly the strongest man in the world. This was what he lived for; this was what he yearned in all of his life. He didn't need help, he didn't need companions, and he didn't need any of that. Kill the rich, the poor, the young, the old, men, women and children, all of them were fair game. He didn't need this useless objection called compassion. Those were for the weak and the weak die while the strong survive.

So was he weak now, for fighting these hordes of girls not for the sake of battle but for the sake of others? Was he weak now, for having companions and dare he say it, friends in Roy, Yin, Miriana, even the damn horned girl Elrya Alya had started to grow on him a bit. In all of his life, he had been the strongest, nobody stood up to him and those who foolishly dared were beaten down into the bottom of the food chain. In truth, until his battle with Lucy he had never lost a single fight in his life. In truth, he didn't know how to lose or how to accept it, and it drove him mad for revenge. For months he had been hunting down that pink haired woman, desiring nothing more than to crush her and reclaim his rightful spot as the strongest person in the world. This entire deal with Elrya should never have happened.

Yet it did, and despite his gruff and uncaring formalities, he began to respect and care for his colleagues. Roy was the one person he could view as an equal, a man of weapons and powers who knew what had to be done, who could take charge and new what battle was all about. Miriana was a lot like that annoying brat Miriana, a goody too shoe child who understood little about the realities of life but her innocence was, in a sense, a refreshing breath of clean air. While he didn't exactly care or try to befriend the man, Yin was a bit like Kurma, intelligent and well spoken. Finally, the girl herself, the damn horned girl whom his first greeting was to shoot at on the beach. Had she mad e him soft, perhaps weakened his defenses? When would he care about the lives of others especially those of these horned brats? When he would have ever joined Roy and attempted to rescue them despite his undying hate for all of them?

Perhaps…this was compassion.

"Great…I've gotten soft…how stupid…yet…I guess it's not too bad." The soldier muttered, feeling the cold fingers getting closer and closer, hearing Kakuzawa's manic laughter of victory and then he dodged. In a single instant, Kakuzawa's cackling voice was instantly quelled and his eyes widened considerably as Bando avoided the first hand. He didn't, or perhaps couldn't speak; the only thing the old man could do was just stare in utter disbelief as the third, seventh and onwards of vectors were dodged. "Wh-What in the hell is this!" He finally managed to utter, watching the impossible unfold before him. Seeking his first prey, Bando's physical hand smashed against the helmet side of one of the clones, caving it slightly in and knocking her out cold. "What the hell is this!" Bando served, feeling more hands slide pass his head, taking a few strands of his hair off and bashed the next girl away, the grinding of his metal circuits shaking in his ears. "What the hell is this!"

He turned, ducked, avoided, and smashed his own physical fists into the glass window of their masks, shattering it and shattering their mutilated faces. He kept it up, hitting, punching, kicking, and taking girls down with his own physical strength while simultaneously dodging their attacks. How long had he prepared himself for this? How long had he fought horned girls for the soul purpose of his rematch against Lucy? "I can't lose, I will not die, I am the strongest…" he said slowly, hit fist colliding with the face of another. 10 were down, then 15…at 20 the young clones began to do something. Their feet moved back, their bodies shook and Kakuzawa saw something he had never thought he'd see on mindless cones.

Fear.

The clones were scared now, of this single human man who took them out one by one.

"…I am…the strongest…" Bando said again, cracking his knuckles threateningly. "As if I'd ever lose to bunch of pussy ass bitches like all of you! I don't care if it's a hundred, or a thousand, or a million! I'll crush each and every one who stands in my way!"

*BAM!*

*BAM!*

*BAM!*

Again and again and again, without halting at once, he attack, 25 down, 30 down, 40 down…an amazing 50 bodies were sprawled out upon the city streets, the soldier standing in the middle. But now exhaustion was getting to him, and his movement was becoming erratic and slackened. The dark director, at first starring in shock at the unfolding of a lonely human taking on so many Diclonius, suddenly smirked broadly and raised his hands. "THAT IS HUMAN LOGIC TO THINK HE CAN STAND UP TO SO MANY OF MY GLORIOUS CHILDREN! ALL OF YOU, KILL HIM! ATTACK NOW AND RIP HIM TO SHREDS!" Upon his orders, the clones sprang into action, their hands all simultaneously coming and rushing towards the gasping man. He might be able to dodge a few, but this time he wouldn't be able to avoid them all and their killer instincts overrode any other emotion.

*SLASH!*

"AH!" Unable to believe it, Kakuzawa yelled as the front line clones were sliced horizontally in half, their upper bodies dislodging themselves from the lower. Apparently Bando didn't take to kindly to either because he abruptly turned around and roared loudly at the Diclonius behind him. "Don't get in my way, I don't need help from you brats!"

*BANG!*

"STAY OUT OF THIS TOO ROY SYNTH!"

"Bando, kindly shut the hell up and let us help…" Roy muttered, stepping forward and passing a few of his own bullet to Bando whom, despite his arrogant behavior, put them into his gun. "Tsk, all of you are idiots…" The man muttered coldly, though at the same time sneering back at the Diclonius clones. "Seriously do you all want to piss me off? Bah, forget it, I can't change how stupid some of you are anyways. Let's kick some ass!"

"FOOLS! YOU CAN'T WIN! YOU CAN'T BEAT ME! I AM GOD! I AM PERFECT, NOBODY CAN STAND BEFORE ME! FINE THEN, IF YOU WISH TO SO BADLY GO AGAINST GOD AND ENTER HELL EVEN EARLIER, THAN I WILL GRANT YOU ALL YOUR WISHES! I'LL KILL YOU ALL MYSELF! I AM GOD! I AM GOD! I AM…hurh?"

A shadow crossed his field of vision, blocking out the sun for just the briefest of moments. Gazing up along with their master, the clones were greeted by the sight of something coming towards them at an incredibly fast pace. What it was would be figured out long before they had any moment to even recognize it and by the time the first mental thought was even given, the black F16 jet collided with the batch of girls, sending body parts flying in the impact. Blown back from the force of the hit, Roy himself just barely registered the figure jumping out of the cockpit and landing on his feet before throwing one of his grenades into the broken jet. The girls who had survived were greeted by the immense explosion and the feeling of metal and shrapnel etch into the flesh, destroying them completely on impact. Finished with the deed, Garder stepped forward with his cold black eyes ready to murder anybody who stood against him.

"…Garder! About damn time you got here!" Roy yelled.

"…D-Director Morotisan…what is the meaning of this…?" Kakuzawa grumbled.

The Perfect Soldier removed his brown coat, standing in his brown jeans so that his torn up chest was finally visible to everyone. The veins in his body began to pulsate as he injected himself with the serum, his eyes going blind at the same time. This would probably be the last time he could use this power and still have his sights when he returned back to normal. "What is the meaning of this Kakuzawa? Have you perhaps always believed that I was working for you? In short you are half correct, I really had no desire of having all these Diclonius be set free. But there is one thing I will not stand for, the annihilation of the human race."

"A-Ahh…Son of a bitch! YOU HAVE BETRAYED ME! I AM GOD!"

"…You are obnoxiously loud Kakuzawa, with my keen hearing your voice is like a glass shattering constantly. "I am going against you, needless to say I have always been against you. There is no need to speak of unnecessary things right now. From this point on I will personally see that the future you seek does not happen."

"FOOLS! FOOLS! ALL OF YOU ARE FOOLS! VERY WELL THEN, I WILL KILL YOU ALL MYSELF!"

Kakuzawa was in a frenzy now, apparently unable to comprehend how so many people could be going against him. Apparently Garder's betrayal had made him completely snap because he was actually frothing at the mouth now. Garder leaned back, calling to Roy aloud as it was impossible for him to see at the moment. "Synth, what are the number of deceased on this side?"

"…Eh…at least a 200. We're still waiting for Julius and Victoria and we've got…hopefully…some plan being worked out by another person." He answered back, speaking of course of Caren and…whatever wacked out plan she had in mind. It was true though, they had suffered much more casualties than expected while Kakuzawa's group was still standing strong. He still had a good 900 Diclonius left and Bando hadn't exactly gone and killed many either, his entire ordeal was to just allow some time to pass. In short, it was a desperation moment because they were being beat so badly. Garder cracked the bones in his fingers ominously, sending a rather frigid chill through the Diclonius who weren't clones as Garder hadn't exactly been trying to help them the first time.

"All of you…" He said coldly, still facing the general direction of Kakuzawa but speaking to the Diclonius behind him. "Create a double arch, that is, have two groups line up, one in front and one in back as a defense measures against the clones. The rest of you, use that defense measure to disperse."

Some of them had confused looks which might have been from the sheer fact that they didn't exactly understand what he had even said. Luckily some of them did understand and before long an arch was formed so that a double sided defense was made. Obviously if they all tried to run at the same time, the clones would just pick them apart. It was protection for those who were to escape, although it did put those protects in more danger as they were now forced onto the field. Kakuzawa spat on the ground angrily, his shield ripping the streets apart and his vectors slicing through the steel mesh of skyscrapers. "HUMANS! I CAN'T DIE! THEY CAN'T LOSE! I AM GOD! THEY ARE TRUE DICLONIUS! YOU THINK THAT PITIFUL PHALANX WILL DO ANYTHING AGAINST THEM! DO YOU REALLY THINK IT'LL DO ANYTHING AGAINST ME! KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!"

Obeying on command, the clones made a mad dash towards their enemies just as the other Diclonius hopped into the sky and used their vectors to storm off. The defensive measures were ready, their lives on the line just as the first clone came towards them…and her head quickly smashed to pieces by Garder's foot. A shrill gasp escaped them and Kakuzawa just stood there with his mouth agape. "Keep up the defensive line, make sure that as little as the clones can get passed, do you understand…Diclonius?" Not waiting for an answer, his body swiftly jumped to the side, his fists colliding with heads and splattering brain matter all over. This was the after all the power of the Perfect Soldier, he who could take on any opponent no matter what the numbers.

Roy and Bando joined the fray, bullets flying in every direction and taking down opponents. Caught off guard by this formation, the clones were forced back as the rest of the Diclonius made a hasty retreat. "Garder, where are the Tokyo facility Diclonius as well as the others at Kakuzawa's facility" Roy called out finally.

"…SAY WHAT!" Kakuzawa roared.

"They are situated in a specific place until I have given the orders. After discovering that we were going up against 1,000 clones and noticing the vast numbers being killed here, I felt it was wiser to hold them back until the right time. You already know that this is a battle of numbers, we can't lose a single other. I have also told Julius and Victoria that once they set the Diclonius free, they are to send them to a specific place as well. What we need to do is kill as many of these clones as possible."

"UNFORGIVABLE WRETCHES! YOU CAN'T DENY GOD! I AM GOD! MY PERFECT, OVERWHELMING PRESENSE CAN NEVER BE EQUALED TO SUCH INFERIOR CREATURES! HOW DARE YOU THINK SO SUCH INSOLENT THOUGHTS! HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU!"

"...Acquire targets…" Garder utter simply, holding onto one of his radios and speaking into it. "…Set standard deviation at 10%, lock on weaponry system at ready. Distance to maintain, 50 meters, lock on systems at the ready.

Fire…"

Whatever Garder was doing would not have to be explained. For the sounds of something quickly approaching was already becoming quite evident. "The rest of you, back up…" He said calmly to his side, a momentary rustling of feet. With a fine trial of spit running down the side of his mouth, Kakuzawa tore up the ground around him, sick and tired of these foolish games. The clones just about to attack were suddenly looking up into the sky as the shrill sound came closer and closer. It was a high pitched kind of wail, like that of a whistle which was coming in closer and closer. The thick clouds passed by overhead, casting a shadow over everyone as Garder starred at his opponent darkly.

*BOOM!*

Before the first batch of clones were blown apart by the sudden emergence of a flash of light, their bodies exploding into several pieces. By the time they registered what had happened, the second batch of missiles flew down through the cloudy skies before splitting apart. Jets flew around at high speeds, blasting the ground where the clones were, blowing them apart with their massive fire power. 15 jets soared through the skies, their machine guns and missiles flashing and pummeling the clones without mercy. "WHAT IS THIS! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS! WHERE DID THEY COME FROM!"

"Where Kakuzawa…?" Garder asked rhetorically. "…I am in charge of the Tokyo Diclonius facility, I have my own trained men and soldiers there. I have also gathered the trained men from your facility as well. You see, not many humans want to be on the line of extinction and even if it means going against you, they are more than willing to do it. Now let's see what these mere clones can do against this firepower…"

*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*

Bodies blown apart by so many weapons, vectors slashing apart through bodies. This was war, a great and devilish war for the sake of the world. The planes soared through the sky, out of reach and though their numbers were lacking and their weapons limited, they provided enough support for Garder and the rest to make a full frontal assault. Down they fell, unable to keep up with the assault while Kakuzawa roared his displeasure to the world, striking up at the planes but at Garder's command, they kept their distance, firing from high above. Before long 200 of the clones had been vaporized, their flesh floating through clouds of dust. Needless to say Roy and the others were impressed, Garder had been one step ahead and formulated a plan to go against these clones. Unfortunately, the clones were beginning to learn.

Grasping the tail end of the broken jet that Garder had crashed, they tore it up and together launched the piece at break neck speeds towards the closest jet. Unable to avoid it, the piece tore through the cock pit, taking the pilots head with it before the plane swerved out of control and crashed into one of the buildings. Flares of fire and debris blasted out, raining upon the poor citizens of Osaka, many of which were crushed by the falling metal pieces.

"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO GO AGAINST GOD! IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DENY FATE! YOU ARE ALL DESTINED TO DIE! I AM PERFECT, UNWAVERING, THE GOD OF EVERYTHING! KILL THEM ALL!"

Another piece was torn off, more and suddenly the skies were filled with rushing of wind and burning stench of scorched metal. 4 more jets were taken down and this time Garder felt it was prudent to change strategies. "All of you return back to the designated area I gave you before, I will give you all orders at another time." He spoke into his radio the jets rearing back and making a hasty retreat to where Garder had told them. He needed the firepower and at this point they were being overwhelmed. Unfortunately while this was a great idea to save numbers it might not last very long. They had done a terrific amount of damage to the clones, dropping their numbers from 1,000 to 750. However that number was still greatly above the mere 25 Diclonius that were left on the hero's side.

"This betrayal is unforgivable…" Kakuzawa growled, wiping the trail of spit off of his lips. "…You've done a lot of damage to my true Diclonius and that's something that I won't let go unpunished. You don't have enough lines of defenses to take them and me on anymore. I won't even give you time to pray, I'll slaughter you all and put your heads on pikes for the whole world to see!"

Garder said nothing, merely gripping his fingers tightly. Even he would have difficulty facing 750 Diclonius, especially if they all attacked at the same time and considering that Kakuzawa was also about to go on the offensive, things were looking bad. He had to disperse the jets as they would need the extra fire power against Kakuzawa himself.

Not even a full second past before Kakuzawa wildly attacked.

* * *

><p>Breaking the sound barrier, the silver jet flew through the skies, the trail of bullets and missiles nearly hitting it as it rushed towards the Kobe facility. Julius kept his hands tight on the controls, his red eyes flashing as he controlled the jet with the skills of an adept pilot. Victoria, both shocked and amazed could do nothing more than watch as they blasted through the sky, shooting down planes that came their way. The last facility was obviously given the most security and at this point, getting to was impossible by foot.<p>

"J-Julius! When did you learn how to do all of this!" Victoria cried out, shutting her eyes before a massive explosion.

"It's something that becomes useful while working for a war veteran…" The male Diclonius answered. He took the controls and made a wide turn, avoiding the stream of missiles that flew past them before making a nose dive. For one swift moment Victoria actually he was going to crash until he pulled up. Leaving 2 of the opposing jets to crash before in a blazing inferno. Victoria's opinion on Julius, which was already in high regards already, just increased tenfold. Rather fortunately, Julius was more concerned on having them survive then having relationships.

"Victoria, break the cockpit window…"

"Eh? A-Alright!" She said, bringing her vectors out and smashing the window above them. The high winds blew their hair and clothes around and making it hard for either of them to hear each other's voices. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to kamikaze the plane into the structure…" Julius muttered, placing his hand on the silver coin upon his forehead and taking it off. Victoria gasped before spluttering incomprehensibly at him. "Ehhh? Th-Th-That's in-insane! Y-You'll g-get y-y-yourself k-k-killed!"

The male Diclonius narrowed his eyes. "Do you really think I'd kill myself over something so trivial. You promised to obey my command." She starred at him before nodding seriously gripping the side of the broken edges where the wind had been with her vectors she leapt out, using her hands to grip the plane so that she hovered in the air. "I'll jump on your command Julius, just say the command!" He didn't answer back but gave a curt nod, sending out a stream of missiles to get rid of something the people on the ground. He took the throttle, narrowing his eyes as the jet when into a point blank nose dive towards the very center of the facility.

500 meters

400 meters

300 meters

200 meters

100 meters

"Now!" Julius roared, letting the pilot's seat inject himself off, Victoria flung her own body off the jet as well before it hit the facility with a resounding crash, blowing it apart in a blazing storm of metal and fire. It blew apart the walls, the construct, leaving nothing but a gaping hole and shards of plane matter that imbedded itself into what was left of the walls. Blood smeared everywhere, the two Diclonius landed right in the center, their feet upon the broken wreckage of the plane as their red eyes shone out rather intimidatingly upon the tail end of the jet. Hoping off, they entered through the massive hole in the wall, and towards the basement.

"That was incredible…" Victoria exclaimed.

"…Stay alert, we're not out of danger yet."

Sure enough they didn't even make it down five steps before the bullets began flying. Victoria jumped in front of Julius, spreading her arms out and letting the ammo ricochet off of her vectors without harming either of them. "You dare to attack him, know your place!" She shrieked before a different kind of shriek hit their ears. Apparently the last thing anybody should do is shoot at Julius when Victoria was around because the room was suddenly filled with blood and organs. Quickly wiping the blood from her face, Victoria glared around the room as if daring anybody to come and attack them again.

"Victoria, I'm heading the basement, I can handle things on my own. Stay here, take anybody else out that you need to and wait for my return."

"Yes Julius, I will."

Watching as he went down the stairs, Victoria couldn't help but feel a deep admiration for him. He shouldn't be long and as he disappeared she turned around and leaned against the wall, letting her vector float around her for protection. More fools tried to attack, their torn up figures hitting the walls as she finished them off swiftly. "I told you all to know your places!" She growled, stopping most of the armed men who came rushing to the side dead in their tracks. She wasn't afraid of them or their weak weapons, and with a quick slash of vector that sliced open the wall, many of her adversaries turned tail and ran away.

"Hm. That's right, I don't have…"

!

Victoria turned around, hearing something but by the time she did…

*CLANK!*

"GAH!"

The spiked iron ball was already lodged into her gut, bringing her to her knees as excruciating pain tore through her entire body. "Ahhh! Ah! Ahhh!" Unable to stop herself from screaming in morbid agony, she could barely even see the person walking towards her, his heinous grin filled with perverted malice. "Sh-Shit! I can't use my vectors…guh! Gah!" Before she knew it, cold hands were wrapping around her face and body, bringing uncomfortably close before to her sickening taste as a tongue began licking her face. The dark man in black brought her close, bringing his mouth to her ear.

"You aren't going anywhere…but before I kill you…allow me to have some fun…" He said, his sick fingers traveling up her skirt to violate her. Next to feeling like her body was going to give out from the pain, she felt the most horrendous sensation of disgust. She squirmed, opened her mouth to scream but found her mouth quickly being covered by his hand. "You've got quite the body girl…hmmm…." She tried to vomit when he began lifting up her shirt and groping her breast with most perverted grin ever on his face. "I've had my way with these bitches here but after all the children it's pretty nice to play with an…older girl." In pain and unable to move, Victoria could do little more but glare in his direction, not even able to scream for help or in pain because his hand was covering her mouth.

"Sh-Shit…I can't…even move! My body, it hurts…this is the damn pervert who raped and killed Number 28. I'd never forget the face of this bastard! So much pain…this damn ball in me!" She though angrily, doing her best to squirm which seemed to do nothing more than to entice the sick man's sexual nature. She couldn't believe she was in such a filthy position, if she wanted to do this, she'd have done it with Julius. Then the pedophile began to reach under skirt, his eyes growing hungrier by the second. "Yeah…yeah…I like that moaning. Oh! Moan some more…"

Was she going to be raped right here? Was she going to end up just like Number 28? Like hell she was! With no other options left, opened mouth as much as she could and bit down on the man's hand as hard as she could, drawing blood.

"Kah! You bitch!"

She managed to break away from but that didn't stop her body from shaking and her eyes to water in agony. Desperately clutching the spiked ball in her gut, removing it was definitely easier said than done. "Haa…Haa…Haa…only a coward like you would attack somebody from behind and then try to rape them…Ah!" Unable to finish her sentence, the cold hearted pedophile slammed her to the ground, laying on top of her with his hungry eyes peeling off her clothes bit by bit before his hands started to pull her shirt up and exposing herself. "I'm going to savior so much of you, for the little stunt you did with my hand, don't think I'll be going easy on you. Now then let's get rid of those irksome little panties of yours…"

!

Struggling but with the pain still surging through her body, there was little she could do as his fingers traveled to the strings of her undergarments and slowly unsnapped them.

"Let's have some fun…eh?" Feeling something pulling him from behind, the man was forcibly jerked back and thrown against the wall where he slid down mundanely. Julius stepped forward, his fingers tightening his face in their same cold seriousness that they always had.

"That girl you are trying to rape is an annoying thing who often gets on my nerves. However, she is also a valuable person to me and losing her is something that I will not allow."

"Kah…You bastard…let's see how you like this then!" The pedophile yelled, bringing out his unique weapon…except he didn't. He was holding nothing in his hands and took him a second to realize that Julius was holding the specialized crossbow. "You know…I don't believe I have ever been this upset before…" Julius spoke out with determined coldness, walking up the man and slamming his foot hard against his chest to push him back down. "Not since my life in the facility have I felt such anger. You attempted to not only kill this woman but also rape her, using cheap, defenseless tactics. Not only that but without it you are so pathetically weak that the only way you could get the drop on anyone is with these methods. This isn't even a case of good sneaking, you are a coward and a perverted bastard and so…"

*Click*

The weapon was pressed against the man's eyes that displayed what was commonly known as fear. Horrible fear of death and pain filled his eyes and he began shaking his head wildly and begging for his very life. "W-Wait! This has all b-been a huge mistake! Pl-Please, don't kill me! Don't kill me! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die!" As the man begged, the red eyes of Julius only glared down on him. In retrospect his features didn't look any different from before, they were still stoic and calm but the flare of fury in his crimson gaze could not be ignored. Julius was legitimately pissed off now, and he had no qualm in pressing the weapon deeper into the man's face. "I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! Please spare me! Spare me! PLEASE! PLEASE!"

"…I have no intentions of killing you…"

"Ah…Th-Thank…"

And then Julius fired the ball directly into the man's right eye. With a short splatter of blood and a second of silence before the entire room burst into the chaotic screams of pain and misery. The pedophile clutched at his face, the orb sticking inside of his own eye but not enough to pierce his brain. "GAAAAAA! AHHHHHH! AHHHH! AH! AH! AH!" He squirmed, twisted and spat in horrible, thriving pain, clutching at the ball and rolling around chaotically. "AHHHHH! GYAAAA! OH! OH! MY EYE! MY FUCKING EYE! IT HURTS! IT FUCKING HURTS!" Poison seeped through his head, filling his already agony induced body to radiate pain that was a hundred times worse. "AHHHH! AH! AH! AH! HURTS! FUCK! SHIT! AHHHHH! IT FUCKING HURTS! AHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHH!" Screaming at the top of his lungs he collapsed forward, running into something that felt like a body. Managing to open his good eye just a bit, he could see the shady figures of young Diclonius, their red eyes starring hatefully into his own sick black ones.

"W-Wait…wh-what are you all doing? Gah! Ah…y-you said you wouldn't kill me!"

"Aye…" Julius muttered darkly. "I have no intentions of killing you…however, that doesn't mean they do not share the same intentions that I do."

"Ahh! Ahhhh! It hurts…please! This was…this was all a…Guh…" Something dug inside his throat, tight fingers reaching down and choking him. Then, with but one swift pull, his entire voice box was forcibly ripped out, the organs coming straight out of his throat and he spluttered uncontrollably and screamed silently but in morbid anguish. He could feel their hands, cold, death filled fingers grabbing his arms and legs and wrapping around his waist while tears of fear dripped from his face. Unable to speak, he could only shake his head again and again, begging them not to do what they were about to do. The strain on his body intensified, eyes reddening before he was violently pulled apart in a gory bisection. His upper half fell on top of his own organs, black hair sprawled out and his entire form going through terrible spasms.

"I believe Number 28 went through the same thing…" Victoria said morbidly, her vector holding the spiked ball that he had hit her with and dropping it to the floor. "…You…sicken me…"

*SMASH!*

She took her hand, and crushed his demented head with a single blow, smearing his brain all across the floor and finally ending his life once and for all. She stood there for a few seconds then struggled to remain on her feet, falling to her knees as the poison was still finishing its course through her body. "Haa…Haa…Haa…" Next to her Julius kneed beside, lightly pushing her up against the wall and looking at the wound in her side. "The poison is still running through your body, it'll naturally run its course, but it will be better to get you some antidote. They probably have some in the medical district of the facility. The rest of you…" He called out to the young girls. "Watch her, I'll be back in a moment…"

"Yes!"

"Th-Thanks Julius…" She whispered, her face going rather red. "D-Did you really mean it, when you said I was valuable to you?"

"I believe I also said that you were an annoying girl who got on my nerves…" Julius answered back, walking down the hallway before adding. "…But yes, you are indeed a valuable person to me."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Chapter 69 complete! What will happen next on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p>

R&R


	71. Stricken With Determined Fallacies

**Chapter 70: Stricken With Determined Fallacies**

Garder swerved and dodged the hands of both master and servants, his body moving with heightened reflexes that went beyond normal human. Swiftly moving through their ranks, his fist collided with helmet wearing heads, crushing them in an instant. Swinging his leg back, his body arched to the side and his foot took off the head of the next clone, letting it soar through air in a wide arch. The old man knelt down quickly, feeling the hands brush past his hair before he bent forward and raced towards the next batch. Body twisting, he mannered through the vectors with perfect precision. However it was easy to see that he was becoming more difficult for him as they started to gain up on him. Avoiding vectors was only made easy when there was space, but when a mesh work of hands were wrapping around him in all directions, avoiding it was made much more difficult.

"Hm…?"

A short murmur escaped his lips, his ears listening for openings before he felt the presence of something large above him. It was huge, not like a vector but of an actual object. Roaring with all of his might, Kakuzawa's vector lifted up the broken wreckage of what was left of one of the fallen jets, bringing down hard to crush the elderly man. Unable to get out of the way, his hands flashed to the outer layer of his pants, pulling out three grenades and flinging them upwards. Resounding explosions filled the air as the plane was split in half from the combined might of the grenades and Kakuzawa's displeasure was made present.

"IMPOSSIBLE! IMPOSSIBLE! NO HUMAN CAN DO THIS!"

Even as Kakuzawa attacked without restraint, Garder was able to dodge each and every one of Kakuzawa's vectors. Unlike the clones which had a vast number, Kakuzawa only had a short of amount, making it very easy to avoid. However Kakuzawa was also rushing at him, hoping to crush him in the confines of his shield. Therefore, to avoid obliteration, Garder had to constantly move backwards. "WHAT'S WRONG MOROTISAN? ARE YOU GETTING TIRED! WEAK HUMAN! WEAK! CAN'T DO ANYTHING CAN YOU!" The only thing worse than his attacks was his obnoxious voice and for Garder, whose hearing was amplified ten-fold, this was quite annoying. It was impossible to beat Kakuzawa at this point; they didn't have enough numbers or firepower to take him out. However at least they could put a dent into the number of clones he had and Julius should be finishing up at the other facility.

Roy and Bando began shooting wildly into the clones, Roy offering his ammo to the burly soldier as the rest zipped around, catching some off guard from behind but seemingly doing no more than to aggravate the mutilated clones. It became more hectic as they started piling up on them, making it impossible for their bullets to reach them and soon they were both pushed up against the walls, unable to run or defend themselves. But with a quick slash of several hands, the few Diclonius that were left attacked the clones in a single movement, decapitating them all in a single line and forcing the others into a small retreat. Even still, they only managed to save a little bit of time.

"This is absolute bullshit! Garder we can't keep this up!" Roy yelled, watching the man fight Kakuzawa, or rather to say, avoid him as attacking him was out of the question. Kakuzawa burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, mocking Garder and the others. "THAT'S RIGHT! YOU HAVE NO CHANCE! DIE AND BURN IN HELL! DIE AND BE SENT TO YOUR RIGHTFUL PLACE IN THE LOWEST PITS! I CAN'T DIE! I WILL LIVE FOREVER! I AM THE GREAT KAKUZAWA-SAMA, YOU MUST BOW BEFORE, PROSTRATE YOURSELF BEFORE ME, KNEEL BEFORE ME! LOWER YOUR HEADS BEFORE ME! THE ONLY GOOD HUMAN IS A DEAD HUMAN! I AM BEYOND ALL OF YOU!

GA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!

Another strike, the hand passing by Garder's head while the Tokyo facility director took his stance. "STILL TRYING TO RUN! STILL TRYING TO DENY GOD! LOOK UPON ME FOOLISH HUMAN AND KNOW YOUR PLACE! TRUE DICLONIUS, CRUSH HIM!"

Garder, along with being quite annoyed at the loud voice was well aware of the clones forming together around a rather large construct as the others attacked him mercilessly. As he dodged, in which some attacks actually began slicing across his face and side, indicating that their groups were becoming far too hazardous even for him, a loud ripping sound was being made. "T-The fucking hell?" Bando growled, Roy repeating the same thing in his head. Some of the other Diclonius were looking a bit worried to as the clones dug their vectors into the base of the massive skyscraper, ripping it from the hinges. Metal screeched and wires broke as the multitude of clones took a 223 meter tall, 43 meter wide, and 227 ton fully loaded skyscraper into the air.

"…Tsk…how obnoxious…" Garder growled, feeling the pressure as the object was raised over his head, feeling the confines of the other Diclonius trapping him, leaving him with little to no room to avoid the construct. "Son of a bitch!" Roy yelled, his eyes widening as the building was lifted high into the sky, blocking out the sun but hardly blocking the horrendous voice of Kakuzawa as he declared his victory. "BEHOLD MY POWER! BEHOLD THE TRUE POWER OF THE DICLONIUS RACE! ALL OF YOU HUMANS AND TRAITORS WILL NOW PERISH UNDER OUR PERFECTION! DIE!"

* * *

><p>While the battle with Kakuzawa stormed in the city of Osaka, the once lively place of Kamakura sat in desolation. A reconstruction of the city had been started but most people had figured that at the rate things were going, there was no point in trying to fix things anymore. It may have been sunny outside, but it didn't stop the dampening mood that filled the city. People were scared but in most cases they had just given up hope. Sure these people were fighting; sure some of these other…horned girls…were fighting against Kakuzawa, but what point was there? The others had fled right? What hope did these meager people have against a god? It was something one woman looked on with indifferent distaste.<p>

Diclonius Queen Kaede, code named leaned against the high brick wall of a local complex, a long black hood coat covered her face, leaving only the piercing red eyes to shine through the darkness. It had become customary to steal food and sleep in the makeshift homes between the alleyways. She didn't bother doing her normal routine, of killing the people in homes and using their places as sanctuaries. She didn't bother heading back to Maple Inn either, what point was returning to them in her state? More than once she had actually slammed her head into the wall in the hopes that she would become Nyu again. Nyu was innocent, devoid of the bloodshed and hate that her own hands were filled with. Unfortunately the only thing she managed to get was a brutal headache.

_"What a poor thing, instead of just running away from your past, why don't you just accept it…"_

She turned her head, trying to erase the thoughts out of her mind. "What foolish words, typical from a human…" She thought angrily, casting glances around her before moving around. She had to keep hidden though if anybody did try to make a move, she could easily deal with them. She had escaped from the facility for one point and one point only, to apologize to the one person who hadn't treated her like an animal. To desperately apologize to the one person who showed her kindness but in return she gave him hell. Perhaps she blamed herself a bit, because she knew that in the future to come, her adopted family would never survive. Kouta, Mayu, Nana, Nozomi, even Yuka whom she had gathered a grudging friendship for, especially as the woman did take care of her opposite personality Nyu, would all be killed.

Who was she kidding; humans were humans no matter what they say…even if…she was unsure on that matter.

_"What a poor thing, instead of just running away from your past, why don't you just accept it…"_

"Kah! Stupid thoughts, they still won't leave my head…" She grumbled angrily. Deciding that standing around wasn't making her feel any better; she pulled her hood up more tightly and walked out, doing her best to avoid eye contact with anybody. She noticed that most people were homeless, living on the streets which gave her a bit of satisfaction. Maybe now these foolish humans would understand the hardships she had to go through. All humans were the same, sickening creatures who deserved to die. She was wrong though, while she definitely had a hatred for the species, it would be hypocritical to think that all humans were like those kids in the orphanage, or the people in the facility. Obviously there were a few select humans that weren't selfish, sex driven, murdering, hate filled creatures.

Besides what did that make her? She had no qualm in killing people who annoyed her went against her. She didn't shed a single tear about the murders in the orphanage or facility. But whenever her mind ventured to the train, she felt nothing but contempt for herself. Was she any different from the others then? It was hypocritical to hold such a grudge in her life when she too had done exactly the same, and sometimes for the most simplistic of reason.

Why had she killed that girl and man on the train? From sheer jealousy of seeing him hug her, that was it. Was she being abused? No. Was she being neglected? No. She had merely lost her temper and thoughts to that voice inside of her head and had attacked regardless of the true nature of the event. Would things have been different if she had relaxed and calmly looked at the situation in a better light? From her time with them in Maple Inn, even if it was as Nyu, she noticed from the recesses of her mind that Yuka definitely cared for and loved Kouta. An intense rivalry would've been formed even if she hadn't attempted to kill her, but the woman also genuinely cared for Kouta as well. Shouldn't she desire something like that too, the protection and care for the person she adored too? They had offered her more in one night than she could offer in an entire year.

_"What a poor thing, instead of just running away from your past, why don't you just accept it…"_

"D-Damn, it's still in my head, why does he have to be so annoying…" She thought again, furrowing her brows and sighing deeply. "…Still though…they looked…happy…" Indeed, the "brat" had looked quite comfortable resting her head against that man. Not to mention, hadn't he referred to himself as her husband? She found it bit strange that they were married but it looked so natural and true. Was it truly possible for one of her kind to live like that? If it was, she too wanted to live like that. Instead though, she kept running away from her past, unable to accept it. Truly she was just a poor little thing, no different from those she hated.

"So what if I accept my past, what difference would it make? My hands are stained with too much blood for the others to ever truly accept me."

But if Kakuzawa won, they would all die. Could she truly stand there and just wait for annihilation of the people she cared about and wait until that twisted director found and had his way with her? There weren't just humans fighting Kakuzawa, it was both humans and Diclonius but at this rate, they would all perish if something wasn't done. So was she any better than Kakuzawa if she just stood here, moping about pathetic pasts while others even weaker than her strived to stop the madman? The only thing that she ever knew her life was pain and misery and then that man and his family took her in and care of her. She would truly be a murderess if she just stood there and watched as the world crumbled away.

"So what if I help them, it won't make a bit of difference. Even if we did win, I would still be an outcast. Where could I go after we won?" At the end of her mental question, as if on cue, the image of Maple Inn and all of its residents popped into her head. "Tsk…how can I call that place home? All I would be is a burden to Kouta and the others, a murderess like me shouldn't plague them." Yet it was her home, at the very least it was Nyu's home so would it not make it her home as well? She wanted to live there, get a new life started and let the past behind her. She wanted to desperately to be with Kouta and apologize over and over for all the crimes she had committed.

"…"

_"What a poor thing, instead of just running away from your past, why don't you just accept it…"_

Yeah…she was poor alright. She could kill and conquer without a single bit of regret but in the end she was just a pathetic child running away without directly trying to understand the situation. She would always be a murderess, that would never change but now she had to get up and walk on. She had to accept her past, take her regrets and continue on. At the very least, she needed to protect those that went to protect her.

The people raised their hands to their faces as the wind kicked up, her hood falling off as her vectors emerged. Some of them looked at her with confusion and fear and others, recognizing her face cried out in alarm. Lucy compressed her hands into the ground, the street cracking underneath her and with a single push she launched herself into the air before speeding off into the direction of the fight.

* * *

><p>"Ah! Agah! Guh!"<p>

Gasping for air, Miriana managed to take three full steps into the town before she collapsed head first into the ground. She could hear movements and cries of shock in a language she didn't understand. It was impossible to go on any further, her body had reach its peak, no, it had reached its peak long before she had gotten here. It was only through sheer willpower that she managed to this far and finally her physical dystrophy had finally caught up with her. Unable to keep her consciousness up anymore, she reluctantly allowed the blackness to swallow her.

…

…

"Soft…" She thought, feeling the comfortable pillow and opening her eyes slowly. In an instant she tried to jump out, faltering because of the vast pain that filled her body. Almost at once a young woman came in, lightly pushing her down and speaking to her in the same unknown language. Miriana glanced quickly around, noticing that she was in some sort of hospital and that she could hear voices outside as well. She was nervous, the last time she had sought help and people had come she had been brought right back to Hell itself. Vladimir was dead, well that depended on the concept of dead now, but at least she could trust this woman. "I need…to find…Elrya. Do you know any Japanese?" The young girl asked, tilting her head to the side and laying her hands on her belly. The nurse smiled kindly but sadly shook her head, speaking again in words that Miriana didn't understand but indicating to her that her words were as confusing to her as it was to Miriana.

"My body hurts..." She moaned, nearly biting her tongue when a swift area of pain hit her, making her tighten her body. Even though she wanted to get out and keep looking, her body wouldn't allow it. She had to rest now, if only a little bit to catch her strength because she knew it would take more than a few hours for her broken hand and feet to heal. She couldn't wait that long, she would rest up for just a few hours at tops and head back out. Of course she'd just put her body into more pain than it was already in but for her friend, she was willing to make the sacrifice.

"I won't let you take her, she's stronger than that. I know your stronger than that Elrya, I look up to you after all. I won't let you hurt her anymore…Vladimir Cents…"

"Vladimir…Cents?"

Looking over, Miriana noticed the hardened look that the nurse was giving her after she mentioned the man's name. She looked scared, and held her hands tightly together before mumbling a few words in which Miriana heard Vlad's name spoken in. Shaking her fist, the nurse quickly left the room as if afraid she might lose control of herself. Left alone, Miriana had to be content with just resting. "Where are you Elrya? What is that cruel man doing to you now? You have to fight back, I know your stronger than this, I just know you are. Please, keep fighting…"

She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep, only that she was awaken some time later by the incoming of an elderly man wearing a white lab coat. She assumed they were going to do give her some treatment and was surprised when the man actually began speaking in broken Japanese. "He-llo. I hope you…are doing alright. You were in…quite a mess when the doctors…found you in…the street." Raising her head just a bit to get comfortable, Miriana was glad to hear words she could finally understand, even if they were broken.

"You can speak Japanese?" She asked.

"Not very well, but enough…to get by. What happened to you young lady?"

Miriana lowered her head, a shadow crossing her face. "I was kidnapped by Vladimir Cents a few days ago and was brought here from Japan. Two of my friends tried to rescue me, and one of them…" She had to stop, the memory still painful even to her. "…One of them was killed by Vladimir before my very eyes and my other friend was…I don't even know. I need to find her."

"I see." The man muttered, his voice low and rather cold. "In Hungary and other countries outside as well, the name of Vladimir Cents is one that most people…would rather forget. About 15 years ago he raised an army…and created himself an image of a ruler throughout Europe. He was called by many names, in and out of this country. 'The Mad King', 'The Twisted Relic' and 'Demon.' Many of us lost families and loved ones because…of him during that time. It was a…time of fear for many of us…until he was finally defeated during the end…of the war. After that, Vladimir Cents never appeared again, there was no trace of him and we all thought he died during the war."

"He's dead now…" Miriana said. "Except…" She wasn't even sure how to explain this one. How did you tell somebody that a man was dead and yet wasn't dead? Still right now she had more important things to discuss other than people she hated. "S-Sir, this was the closest city that I know of and I think my friend might be near here. She's a young girl, 16 years old, pink hair and horns and…"

"…D-Diclo…nius…?"

"Y-Yeah…" She answered back. She noticed that she he said it, it wasn't in a way that it was broken, he actually sounded concerned. "I-I know a lot of things about them seem bad, but she's really a very nice person. She's suffering a lot right now and I need to help her." She was practically pleading right now. Yet the next words from the old man put a chill down her spine. "The thing is…there was someone…like that a few kilometers away. A young girl with pink hair and horns." He looked away, apparently nervous again. "Witnesses say she…murdered about 5 people…and ran off."

"Eh? Th-That can't be. Elrya would never do something like that!"

"I'm just saying…how it is…"

Lowering her head, Miriana couldn't help but have the tears fall from her eyes. Just how long would he continue torturing her? Just how long would he make her do these horrible things? She knew that Elrya wasn't herself right now, having lost two of the closest people to her Vladimir was screwing around in her head. Why couldn't he just go away and never return? He was dead now, dead people shouldn't make other people suffer like this. She knew deep in her heart that Elrya wasn't responsible, Vladimir was just using her to fulfill in his own twisted desires. She suddenly regretted not helping Elrya at that moment, when her back was turned and defenseless. She should have ignored all pain and stopped Vladimir.

Slowly and painfully, she began pushing herself up before the old man pressed his hands against her should to have her rest back down. "You can't…get up right now…your too weak. Besides if what's going on…is true then…that girl is very dangerous."

"I need to help her…she's lost and confused right now. She's not a bad person, I need to know where she is."

"I can't tell you that…it's far too dangerous…please rest."

* * *

><p>"Are the bad people…going to hurt me here?" Elrya asked her mental devil. She was crouched against the stone walls of an alleyway, the passing people scaring her deeply even though they couldn't see her. Nibbling on a small piece of bread, she shook nervously whenever she thought she was going to be attacked.<p>

"_**Who knows Elrya-chan…they might hurt you right now. Oh look over there!"**_

"Hnnnn!" Crying loudly, she reared her head to the side, afraid she was going to be attacked at any second. "I-I'm scared…bad people hurt Elrya."

"_**Yeah they're all bad people, all of them want to torture, rape and kill you. Better do something about it. Better kill em' before they kill you. Dear little Elrya-chan, do you want to die? Do you want them to maim, rape and slaughter you? They're going to kill you. Kill! Kill! Kill! Ka! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"**_

The young Diclonius squirmed. "Not hurt Elrya, please not hurt Elrya."

"_**Well then my little friend you have two options, you can let them do all that to you, or you can kill them as you did the others. They'll always hate and want to hurt you and so you'll have to do something about it. **_

_**Oh ho?**_

_**Look over there….Elrya-chan…"**_

Moving her head, Elrya screeched and pushed herself away right into the bustling town where an uproar was created. She wasn't paying attention to it though, she was more concerned with the broken and beaten Miriana slowly dragging herself towards her in what she assumed as a plan to hurt her. Young Miriana couldn't wait, even though she knew that using her body like this was bad, she had to keep moving in order to help her friend. "I'm not going to hurt you Elrya…I promise."

"Bad girl lie. B-Bad girl hurt Elrya…"

"L-Look…" Miriana said, trying to put on a cheerful disposition and raising her hands up in the air in front of her face. "I won't come any closer and look, I have nothing in my hands so there's nothing I can use to hurt you. Will you please listen to me?"

"_**What a liar…" **_

"Hnnn! Bad girl…"

"I'm not a bad person Elrya, I'm your friend. I don't know what Vladimir has been telling you but he's wrong! You're stronger than this, I know you are! You're one of the bravest, strongest and sweetest people I know. Both Yin and Alya wouldn't want you to go through this right now. Please, fight against him! Don't let him over take you Elrya, I know you're stronger than this!"

"_**Typical words from a lying person like her. Elrya-chan, she's going to hurt you one way or another. Kill her now and you won't ever have to worry about her."**_

Something invisible but dangerous whooshed out and grasped the poor human girl by the neck, the feeling of cold fingers tightening around her. Unable to stand anymore, Miriana fell to her knees, choking and spluttering while looking at Elrya with watery eyes. "Gah! Ah! P-Please Elrya, I know you aren't…gah…like this. You're a good person, I know you are! Ah! Ahh! D-Don't listen to him, think of Yin and Alya and how they would think.

Haa…Haa…Kah!

D-Do you remember when we first met? Kuah! Eh! You didn't trust me at that point. You didn't trust any of us but then…gah…we became friends. I know you aren't like this, I know your stronger than this. Your c-conviction is stronger…ugh…gah…" Unable to speak anymore, Miriana was left grasping the air, a trickle of blood running down the left side of her mouth. Elrya was holding her there, her vectors tightening and her eyes wide and scared.

"…_**Kill her…"**_

"…Elrya…please…"

***CRACK!***

…And the sound of bones breaking echoed into the cloudy skies above.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Another chapter finished, hope the hurricane hasn't caused too much trouble for any of you. Yeah I was sort of on the East Coast so I kind of got a bit of here at the University. It's been a while since Lucy's made an apperance, "Interruptions" to be precise and that was nearly 30 chapters ago. So what will happen next on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p> 


	72. Fair Play In War

**Chapter 71: Fair Play In War**

For a full blown ten seconds, Kakuzawa stood there with his mouth wide and a stream of chaotic laughter escaping his lips. For a complete ten seconds he stretched his arms out as if to proclaim his superiority for the whole universe to see. In ten seconds, his mind raced through all the sheer facts of his perfection and the imminent death of the human race. It took him a full ten seconds, of gloating, laughing and pride to realize something. The building had not yet fallen. Of course the only people more shocked than Kakuzawa were the actual opponents who starred up at the massive structure. Garder himself tensed up, feeling the ominous thing above him and the vectors that snaked around him.

"Wh-What the hell is this?" Kakuzawa muttered morbidly, glancing over at the clones who merely stood there with their vectors holding the building above them. Whatever the expressions on their broken faces would've been was unknown but something was up that was keeping them from committing the deed. For the first time, Roy and the others had to actually agree with Kakuzawa. As far as they were concerned, nothing should be stopping the clones from bashing said construct straight into Garder's body. Instead though, they just held the building p above their head as if in a daze, not even moving their vectors. In a sense they seemed rather confused, as if something was happening to their visual surroundings because many of them teetered on the edges of their feet. Once again Kakuzawa flipped his lid, thinking that he was being betrayed again.

"DO NOT STAND THERE LIKE FOOLS! CRUSH HIM! KILL HIM! HE CAN'T ESCAPE! HE CAN'T AVOID! HE IS AN IMPERFECT BEING, LOWER THAN FILTH! DO NOT STOP! DO NOT CEASE! KILL HIM NOW!"

At the words of their master, the clones took the massive structure up higher, while the director smirked broadly. At last he would show these bastards what happened when you went against God. It the rule of law that those who displeased God would be punished. Therefore, he being God was automatically given that right. In fact, he was beyond God, he was beyond anything these foolish mortals could hope to comprehend. God was merely the highest point that their simple minds could take. It was a human word, created by stupid human logic, one that he was gladly distancing himself away from. He was now something that the human mind couldn't comprehend.

God!

It was just the closest word that could be described. Just as he was beyond perfection, beyond mortality, beyond any of these mundane words that humanity and slathered on in their bleak lives. "GA! HA! HA! HA! DIE MORTALS!" Roaring to the sky, roaring his perfection, the clones obeyed. Using their arms they brought the building down hard…

…Right on top of another group of clones.

*BASH!*

Kakuzawa was stunned speechless as his own clones took the construct and forcibly threw it down on a good 40 of their king, crushing them in a massive heap of metal. There was no blood, all of it would be found underneath, but there was the unmistakable scent of gore wafting through the air. Metal sheets flew through the air while a thick cloud of dust obscured most of the area. As before Kakuzawa wasn't the only one surprised, everyone else looked just as startled as the director did. Even the clones who had thrown the building down looked intensely disturbed, some backing up and looking around quickly. What had happened to make them do such a thing? It was clear that they had not intended to do any of that. They had intended, as their master had commanded, to crush Garder without discrepancy.

"Your little toys seem to be broken…"

Turning his head quickly, Kakuzawa glared as Carentorzulan stepped through the hazy smog, her red eyes flashing dangerously. "Nir…linya?" The young girl shook her head, eyes not ceasing from the deadly glare she gave him. "Do not call me by that damn name ever again. My name is Carentorzulan Zeruda, younger sister of Orlana Zeruda. I trusted you, I actually thought you were trying to help me, but I was wrong! The only thing you told me was that humans were horrible and I believed you, do you know what happened? I got shot…" She gave a rather passive glance to Garder whose only response was to narrow his eyes as if wondering if she expected him to apologize to her.

"…And then you know what happened? I was saved by humans! You're a lying piece of shit whose been using us your experiments just to fulfill your own desires!"

"SILENCE! I WILL NOT…"

"YOU BE SILENT!" Caren screeched, her voice shrill and menacing. Kakuzawa started to froth at the mouth. For Kakuzawa whose mind was so obscured by his own irrationality, being told off by another Diclonius was just something he couldn't handle. "I WILL NOT BE SILENT! I AM GOD! YOU ARE TRAITOR!" She had no reply for him, she didn't bat a single eyelash as his vector stormed from the dome and rushed out to deliver judgment. Slicing across flesh, the vector would do its job as Kakuzawa had wanted. He wished to murder and thus he would murder. The only problem was that he wasn't murdering Caren. In a stream of realization, the insane director was slicing apart his own clones in a shower of blood. Stopping immediately with his mouth agape, he turned, looking at Caren who this time gave a rather smug and conceited smile.

"Something wrong director? You know it's kind of bad when you start killing your own helpers." She mocked, raising her head and glancing over at the clones whom fell back away from their killer master. "This is bullshit! WHAT IS THIS BULLSHIT! WHY ARE YOU NOT DEAD!" Roaring again, he attempted to slice and dice the girl apart into ribbons. Yet like before, he suddenly found himself killing clones, their body parts flying through the air much to his displeasure. "THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! WHY! WHY! WHY! HOW CAN SOMETHING SO TERRIBLE BE? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!"

The young Diclonius smiled with false innocence, her eyes rolling to the side with her hands behind her back. "Haven't figured it out have you Kakuzawa? Then again even if you weren't a dense piece of crap I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't know what was going on. You see, my sister who I adored, was rather good at creating illusions." Caren replied, finally bringing her right hand up and letting the object dangle between her fingers, jingling ever so lightly. "This is the Clock Stopper…"

"Orlana's broken object?" Roy muttered in disbelief. "It was broken before, how did you…?"

She only smiled at the blue haired man. "I may not be as good with illusions as Orlana was, but I still know enough." She clutched at the watch, closing her eyes as she held it close to her face. "Orlana was my sister, if what you say is true, then she was trying to help me out of the hell that I had lived in for so long. Because of you, I will never be able to see her again! I will never get to talk to her, hug her, be comforted by her! Because of you, I was trapped in that hell for years! Do not think I will be going easy on you Kakuzawa!" She yelled, holding the fixed Clock Stopper and letting the effects take place. The surviving clones staggered on their feet, dazed and confused. The world in Kakuzawa's eyes was blurry and disorienting.

"You are amazing Caren, if I haven't said that let me say it now." Roy yelled, letting his bullets float at head level. She smiled back, smug and prideful but also adding to him. "I'm not where near as good as Orlana was though, I won't be able to hold up the illusion for longer than two minutes." Caren replied seriously.

"Not long huh…" Roy muttered.

"It's more than enough time…" Garder growled, holding the radio up to his face. "…To kill all of them before they can even register what has happened. Julius, lets commence the operation. Bring them in."

The Head Director backed up. "BRING WHAT! I AM GOD! BRING WHAT! WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO PULL!"

"Director Kakuzawa…kindly shut your hole. Due to my powers my hearing is augmented to its fullest. The only thing worse than hearing your ideals is hearing them on the highest decibel scale imaginable. It gets quite annoying after a while. Julius…Victoria…commence the attack."

Refusing to surrender and too blinded by pride, Kakuzawa prepared himself for whatever was to arrive. He could hear the sounds of an engine in the air, certainly that of a jet and more than one too. They were probably the same jets that had appeared before, child's play, nothing he and his children couldn't handle. The only problem was that he didn't know where they were coming from, he and the others stepped around, unable to decipher which way the jets were coming from due to the illusion cast by Caren's Clock Stopper. However there was one thing he did notice, the two Mariko clones that he had brought with him were shivering, as if they could feel some foreboding sense in the air. The other Diclonius felt it as well but for them, it was not the sign of something dangerous coming. It was actually something good, something to finally turn this war around once and for all.

*BOOM!*

The first missile hit, blasting the clones apart and exploding off of Kakuzawa's shield. Where did it come from? The others knew it came from the left, but for Kakuzawa and the clones, trapped in the illusion, they had no clue of where they had been attacked until was too late. Thanks to his shield, Kakuzawa's was able to shrug off any attacks that came his way although none of them were aimed at him. They had to get rid of the clones first and then focus all of their firepower on the shield, cracking it and hopefully breaking it. Right now, it was a complete and utter massacre on Kakuzawa's side and it was that opportunity that the others took with great relish. Whenever the clones attacked, trying to reach their assailants, they ended up killing themselves. At no point did it register on their minds to change their formation, to do as Roy did in his battle against Orlana and change location. They relied too heavily on their sights, ones which were impaired the greatest.

Garder zipped through them, his hand crashing hearts within the palm of his hands. Bullets punctured through hearts as vectors whipped streams of organs into the air. Confused and disoriented, Kakuzawa and the clones were unable to defend themselves. It only became worse for them when over the horizon, something quite unexpected came. Diclonius, the same ones that were in Osaka before, no followed by an entire battalion from Kakuzawa, Garder and the Kobe facilities. They flew through the skies, their exotic pink hair whipping wildly around their faces. Due to the first onslaught, they couldn't reach their desired 700 number but 500 was more than enough to deal with the scraps that were left right now. The number of clones had dropped drastically because of the change in fighting style. What was once an amazing 1000 was dwindled to a pathetic 200 which at point the clones began fearing for their own life.

"IMPOSSIBLE! IMPOSSIBLE! DIE! KILL THEM! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! YOU ALL CAN'T DO THIS!"

Alica and Diana shook coldly, irrational fear overriding the devices on their foreheads. The others were being killed and they had no idea when the attack would come or where it was coming from. Then without warning their bodies exploded in a showery display of gore, bones, flesh and organs spilling without warning. At that point Kakuzawa lost it completely, he grabbed his head, froth from his lips dripping sickeningly down his face. For a moment words couldn't even emerge and he began ranting in some unknown and twisted language. "UUUUH! UUUUUUH! OHHHHHAAAA! GOD! GOD! GOD! I AM GOD! I AM GOD! I AM IMMORTAL! I AM IMMORTAL! I AM THE FATHER OF ADAM! UUUUUGH! UUUUUUUGH! DIE!" Yelling, he pointed his finger at the group, or what he assumed was the group, looking rather stupid to the others as he pointed in the completely opposite direction and making strange gestures as if expecting them all to die because he was pointing at them.

"Guys…" Caren muttered, holding the now shaking watch. "…The illusions going to break in a few seconds, I won't be able to hold it on any longer."

"No problem Sheila, you've done more than enough." Roy said, bringing his bullets back as the final clones was ripped to shred. Garder made a motion with his hands, ordering Julius and the other pilots to save their ammo. The illusion broke just as the last clone was cut down, leaving a landscape of blood. The Head Director gasped, looking around and shaking his head profusely, first eyeing the bodies of his clones and then staring hatefully at his opponents.

"Good day mate, welcome to a little thing called pay back. Tis' a bitch eh?" Roy said sardonically.

"Sorry I couldn't hold it on longer…" Caren added.

"Don't sweat it Carey, we wouldn't have gotten this far without you. We owe you a lot."

"Thanks…oh and don't shorten my name like that." She added with a rather dark look in her eye. Something Roy merely shrugged his shoulders towards. "Caren…tor…what the hell was it again?"

"It's Carentorzulan!" She yelled back, aggravated.

"Yeah…I'll call you Caren."

With his clones dead, Kakuzawa was left by himself, shaking his fist and frothing from his lips. "You think this is over? You think you've won? I am God, you can't break my inglorious perfection! I'll kill you all slowly, twisting your flesh off and hang it from the rafters!" The unfortunate part was, he had a point on the first part. Would they have enough power to break his shield now? It was unsure if they could even do it if they had 700 Diclonius, at only 500 it might not be possible anymore. As if they'd give up though, coming this far, coming this close to making a difference in the world, why should they give up now?

Caren jerked her head up quickly as did the other Diclonius. "Something up girl?" Roy asked.

"…I sense another Diclonius but…it's strange. It's very powerful, almost too powerful. Yet I can sense it's only one Diclonius. Whoever is coming is on a level completely different from the rest of us in terms of sheer power." Caren spoke out before the answer finally arrived. With a resounding boom Lucy landed on the ground, her vectors digging into the dirt and creating a small crater upon her landing. Her hands circled around her, having grown even longer than before the others gasped when she came.

"I know her! It's the Queen!

"The one they called Lucy!"

"I can't believe it's her!"

If everyone else was surprised, it was nothing compared to Kakuzawa who had literally fallen onto his knees with his hands outstretched. "OH MY QUEEN! OH MY PERFECT QUEEN! MY BEAUTIFUL GODDESS! YOU HAVE ARRIVED TO JOIN ME! OH LOVELY MAIDEN! OH PERFECT VIRGIN OF MINE! YOU HAVE ARRIVED TO CAST THESE HERETICS INTO HELL FOR ME! OOOOH! OOOOOOH! AHHHHHH! YOU WILL MATE WITH ME! YOU WILL MAKE LOVE WITH ME! OOOOH! OOOOOH!"

"Great….now he'll never shut up." Roy muttered coldly.

The Diclonius Queen stood in splendor, the wind kicking around her body making her look even more dangerous than she had ever looked before. While her vectors didn't reach the same length as some of the other Diclonius, it was clear that the sheer power radiating from her was not to be trifled with. Yet at the moment Lucy couldn't help but glance over to her right, as if something was watching her because such a thing was a fact. In an almost comical manner, she had landed right next to Bando whose face seemed to be stuck in a perpetual mode of angry surprise. At that point Lucy also gawked with a rather blank expression on her face. Until both of them were broken out of their stupor by Kakuzawa's insane rant.

"MY GODDESS! MY BEAUTIFUL QUEEN! YOU WILL DESTROY THEM! YOU WILL JOIN GOD AS IT MUST BE! AHHHHH! OH! OH! OH! OH! YOU WILL SHOW THEM THE TRUE AND TERRIFYING POWER OF OUR RACE! KILL THEM!"

And when she didn't he was unable to understand why.

"ATTACK THEM! YOU ARE MY CONSORT! YOU MUST LISTEN TO ME!"

"Annoying bastard isn't he?" Roy said rhetorically.

"M-My Queen, why do you not attack them? Why do you not take them to hell? WHY ARE YOU DISOBEYING GOD! I AM YOUR GOD! YOUR MATE! I AM THE ONE WHO WILL TAKE YOU IN AND BECOME THE FATHER OF ALL DICLONIUS! ALL TRUE, LOYAL DICLONIUS! WHY WILL YOU NOT OBEY YOUR MASTER!"

"So tell me Lucy, what's with the change?" Roy asked.

"Firstly my name is Kaede, secondly I just don't like the idea of Kouta being a world that's ruled by him. I'm not doing this for you guys."

"Whatever, just know this bitch, once this is over, we still have a debt to settle." Bando growled.

The final battle with Kakuzawa was about to begin.

* * *

><p>*SPLAT!*<p>

It was hot and it was smell she was quite familiar with. The smell of blood that dripped down her neck, a horrible smell and feeling. Miriana was so used to the smell and sight that it no longer startled her. What did startle her were two things, one was the fact that though there was blood on her, she didn't feel any pain. The second thing was that the blood running down her neck was not caused by a vector squeezing through and snapping her neck. The blood running down her throat wasn't even hers to begin with. The blood was from Elrya whose vector had stabbed through her own hand, splattering the young girl's face with her own blood.

"E-Elrya?"

The young Diclonius gasped, holding her hand and growling under her breath. "Vladimir…you bastard! I won't let you do it! I won't let you hurt my friend! You've killed too many…guh…for me to forgive you! Ah!" She fell forward, moving her body away from Miriana and clutching her head as it throbbed painfully. _**"How quaint, you're actually resisting! I admit I never thought I'd get this much fun out of you."**_

"Then keep dreaming! I won't let you win! I won't give you…gah…this satisfaction!"

"_**Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! How quaint! So tell me Elrya-chan, what are you going to do? Just how much stress can you take? Remember those two, the man I murdered and yourself that you murdered? They'll never come back."**_

"Kah! Ugh! Y-You're right about one thing Vladimir. Yin is dead, you murdered him before my very eyes. But you can't get rid of the love I had for him, that will never be erased! You're also wrong about something else!

Alya…is still alive!"

"…_**How quaint. You believe that your little friend is alive now?"**_

"That's right! Haa…Haa…Haa. She's alive just as Yin is also alive at least in my heart! Kuh! I won't let you take that away from me! I won't let you take anything precious from me again! You said it yourself that you connected yourself to Alya, which means Alya is still here somewhere! I'm going to beat you, and then I'm going to bring her back!"

"…_**Heh…Heheh…HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! YOU ARE MOST INTERESTING DICLONIUS! WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT I COULD HAVE SUCH FUN WITH YOU! KA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" **_Vladimir continued to laugh inside of her head, his booming voice giving her a massive headache. But her conviction had never been stronger before, she had been Vladimir physically now she had to beat him mentally. Alya was alive, because she herself was Alya. She had lost herself when she had mistakenly killed Alya but Miriana had finally managed to break her away from that dreaded feeling of despair. Alya was still around, somewhere in her mind, confused, scared and lonely, the young girl who was both herself and her greatest friend was there. Yin was dead, the man she loved would never come back and yes she would cry but she would never regret those times she had with him.

"_**So tell me Elrya? What are you going to do about me? I'm part of Alya's construct now, getting rid of me means getting rid of her? As long as I exist, I will torment you for as long as you live."**_

Elrya clenched her teeth tightly. "…Yeah…I know that. But don't you remember what I told you, I'll keep beating you down until you cease to stand! Whether it's in body or mind, I will beat you! We will beat you!

…Do you understand?

…NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU TRY TO HARM US! NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU TRY TO CONTROL US! THIS IS OUR CONVICTION…VLADIMIR CENTS!"

"_**KA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! AMAZING QUAINT YOU ARE DICLONIUS!**_ _**VERY WELL THEN! LET US SEE HOW THAT CONVICTION OF YOURS HOLDS UP TO DESIRES…ELRYA ALYA!"**_

And the world exploded around them.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Chapter finally complete. Been a bit busy so I wasn't able to post in my usual day to day routine. What will happen next on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p>

R&R


	73. Milestone Recognition

**Chapter 72: Milestone Recognition**

She had become well aware of the burning feeling coursing through her body, because she had felt it multiple times before. Her lungs, her heart, her internal organs were on fire as she collapsed on all fours, a fine trail of spit running down her mouth. How many vectors were steaming out of her back, slashing and tearing apart the street while the people around her screamed in terror. 50? 80? All she knew was that she couldn't control them, hands merely streamed from body and slashed away at the environment and forced the entropy in her body to go into dangerous levels. "Ah! Gah! Wh-What did you do to me!"

"_**Oh? Interesting little tidbit we've got here. To be quite honest my dear this was entirely unexpected. When you killed me, that was it, I should've been dead and gone forever. Perhaps going to Hell, that would've been nice. But it's as you said, I made a mistake and Alya is still alive. Which means I'm still alive. Shall I explain it some more?"**_

"Guh! B-Bastard!"

"_**I'll take that as a yes. You see I integrated my own thoughts, memories and mental capabilities in Alya during our fight. I had intended to make you suffer forever under the notion that you killed your own friend and self. It was going to be a splendid thing! Yet you managed to actually get out of that one, though barely and I did manage to have a little fun with you beforehand.**_

_**It's like this. As long as Alya is alive, I, whom am part of her now, will also be alive. It also means I have direct access to your powers. Your body can't handle this overload of entropy so in a few short minutes your entire insides will be junk."**_

Elrya coughed, turning on her side and holding her body tightly. "I won't let you win! I won't let you! I won't let you!"

"Elrya!" Miriana cried out, desperately reaching out for her friend.

"Everything you've done Vladimir! I won't let you win! Ah! Guah!" One of her vectors reached up, the cold fingers spreading out and rushed towards Miriana with intents to murder. Concentrating her own mind at the cost of her own body, she managed to make the hand slice across the girl's face instead of her neck and slash the ground in a fury. _**"How quaint, you've managed to hold up a lot longer than I thought you would. You've even managed to keep holding on to that silly little dreaming conviction of yours. Let's kick it up a notch!" **_It hurt, it hurt like bloody hell! More vectors exploded from her body, leaving her in the maelstrom of pain and misery. Blood was leaking out of her body, 100 vectors zipping around and causing havoc as she both tried to keep herself together and keep her own vectors from attacking the innocent. Without Alya, there was no way her body could handle the intense pressure.

Her screams were ear splitting

"_**Now what are you going to do Elrya? I have no qualms in dying; I had planned to die quite a while ago. I'm only dragging out your suffering because it amuses me. If you kill me, the only thing I get is what I've wanted. However it'll also mean truthfully killing Alya. Yet if you don't kill me, I'll be in your head for as long as you live."**_

"M-Monster!"

"_**Ha! Ha! Ha! How quaint, I believe I asked you before when I still had a body. If I'm a monster than what does that make you? You've killed, you've slaughtered and you've even enjoyed it. You killed your own mother and then laughed about it. How are you any different from me?"**_

"I am nothing like you!"

"_**Really? You've killed your family, your friends, just like me! You've lived your entire life as murderer and don't act like you didn't enjoy it! That entire life in the facility was filled with nothing but hate and misery and you enjoyed slaughtering everyone who pissed you off! Had Garder not allowed you to leave, if you hadn't met your idiotic friend Miriana, or that bastard Sandersas…!"**_

"STOP IT! Do not dare…talk about Yin or Miriana like that! Uh! Oh! You have no right to say those things to them! You have no right to say those things about Yin after you murdered him cold blood!" It was hurting too much, buildings around were shattering and falling apart under her power, 110 vectors…120 vectors. Was that sensation streaming through body her organs finally rupturing? In only a few short minutes, it wouldn't matter anymore, she'd be dead by then. Still, she concentrated all of her thoughts, all of willpower to keep herself from lashing out at the citizens. As much as she wanted to ignore it, as much as she wanted to deny it, her mind filled with memories of every single sin she had ever committed. What would have happened if Garder hadn't sent her out?

"_**You would keep hating humans, hating your life and hating those around you! You would've gladly have killed Miriana and Yin and not lost a wink of sleep over it!"**_

"Liar! Ah! I would never do such a thing! I would never do such a thing! Bastard!"

But if there was ever time that Vladimir wasn't lying, this was now. She had grown up despising humans ever since she had been taken to the facility. She had personally expressed her own hatred to Yin and Miriana when they had first met. So in short, she was just as Vladimir had said, a murderer. Not just any murderer, a murderer who tried to pretend that things were better. How could she hold onto herself when she even killed her own self in a fit of desperate survival. She could still feel the despair and betrayal in Alya's voice as she was personally murdered by the one person she thought she could trust. No longer a point to remember, no longer a point to be excused, Elrya lost hope in her own being.

…

…

"_**Farewell…my dear adversary…"**_

…

…

"Elrya…"

Jerking her head back, the thoughts of Vladimir also became startled as a second voice broke through the young Diclonius' head. Was it possible, that the person speaking to her was…? "A-Alya…" She whispered through a straining throat, the taste of blood so ever familiar to her tongue. Vladimir's thoughts darkened extensively before breaking out into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. _**"How deliciously quaint! Are you trying to get back in control Alya?"**_

"Don't listen to him Elrya! I don't hate you! I don't hate you at all!" Alya screamed, doing her best to utilize what energy she could to lower Elrya's entropy levels. The explosions around her increased as the young girl let off energy she never would have dreamed would have been possible from her. Kilometers, vast kilometers of land and buildings were being torn apart under her newfound and completely uncontrollable powers. Her hands didn't increase in numbers anymore but their lengths were certainly increasing at an astounding rate. She writhed, scream and burned in physical pain reaching her arm out to the sky as if hoping someone would finally save her. 10 seconds later, the stench of burning flesh finally reached her nose.

Her raised arm was beginning to peel, her own flesh tearing off in small bits from the finger tips down to the elbow. To say it hurt would've been an understatement and had the situation not been so dire and her mind not been so high on energy; she might have passed out from the pain. "Ahhhh! Ah! Ahhhh!"

Alya desperately fought against Vladimir's influence, clinging on to the last shred of personality she could muster. "I believe in you Elrya! I know you can beat him! We can beat him! We have to beat him!" She yelled, Elrya replying back in a viciously pained tone. "B-But I…hurt you! I…" Unable to speak anymore, Elrya felt her other arm begin to peel away as well as the flesh from her legs. She didn't even have minutes to live anymore, she only had a few seconds before her organs were truly destroyed beyond help. Inside her head, inside Alya's head, the wicked guffawing of Vladimir Cents echoed like a true stream of evil.

"_**How quaint! Do you understand now deluded children! This is the real world, this is reality! That piss poor excuse for dreams, or convictions, or whatever the hell you'd like to call them…they mean absolutely nothing here! No matter how much you dream, you'll always have to awake up eventually! I MURDERED YIN SANDERSAS! That is not a dream, that is a desire that I attained and thus was proven correct! I MUTILATED MIRIANA KUSOKU! That is the truth and until you die I will continue to torment you!"**_

The flesh was burning…

The bones were dwindling

The heart was pumping far too fast

The lungs were moving far too much

The tears would not stop running.

The terrible memories always emerged.

* * *

><p>Lucy and the others, mere moments from going on a complete assault against Kakuzawa sudden stopped when the Queen inquired her head to the sky. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously along with Caren who almost against her will stepped forward to look up into the sky. "What's up Sheilas?" Roy asked, noticing the furrowing of brows all around him. Caren gave a soft moan under her breath, her expression in deep insight. "I feel the sensation of another Diclonius, however it's really far away, but it's also extremely powerful. I've never actually felt such a thing before, not since that one girl destroyed Kamakura."<p>

"You don't say, how far is it?" Roy asked.

Lucy answered. "Too far, I can sense it as well, it feels like something in the sky, something…"

"It is her…" Garder muttered distastefully, removing the radio from his pocket and glowering at Kakuzawa, the blind eyes not moving from the direction of where they viewed Kakuzawa. "I just got word from Julius that a Diclonius has gone into a complete frenzy in the country of Hungary. He has determined that person is Elrya Alya."

"You mean the brat? I thought she was in China or something." Bando growled.

"How would you know it's her?" Roy said strictly. The old man flexed his fingers, relaxing his body to its natural form. Against Kakuzawa, there was no longer any need to use his powers. Besides he couldn't even get near the shield himself. "Because the girl you seem so intent on helping has already turned 1/5 of the country into a wasteland. Do you really think such a thing wouldn't go unnoticed to the public eye, especially with what's been going on here now? I should have killed her long ago."

Roy didn't bother to reply back but instead let his thoughts travel inside of his head. "What are you doing over there girl? You've traveled a long way to get all the way to Hungary, so what's happening now? What exactly is Vladimir doing over there to make you go through all of this?" But thinking would have to wait and action be taken place because Kakuzawa was finally finished with letting them have their moment. Stretching his arms out to the sky, he openly gloated them to attack.

"COME! YOU CAN'T KILL GOD! IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KILL OR EVEN HURT GOD! MY QUEEN! MY BEAUTIFUL QUEEN! STEP AWAY FROM THESE HEATHEN AND STAND RIGHTFULLY BY MY SIDE! OOOOOOH" Like the deranged madman he was, Kakuzawa began reaching for the Queen, his face filled with rapture. "LET US MAKE LOVE MY QUEEN! LET US JOIN OUR BODIES TOGETHER AND RAISE TRUE DICLONIUS!" His words themselves left a bad aftertaste on Lucy's tongue before she spat on the ground and brought her arms out. In an almost comical moment, Roy actually had a small idea. "Yo Luce, you should go and do that. He's got to put that shield down sometime, getting laid is kind of hard when there's a massive shield in the way." And to add even more surprises, Lucy actually agreed with the plan.

For Kakuzawa, Lucy seductively walking up to him just made his day. He began walking forward, hands outstretched and a rather disturbing sight of his pants beginning to bulge outwards. The Queen even began rubbing herself in the most obscene way possible, earning a rather grave "slut" from Bando. For Lucy, if she had to do a little fake acting to kill the man who made her life so hellish and unforgiving, it would be worth it. It would be worth every moment, especially to see his face right before she chopped that fucking head of his right from his shoulders. "She's really getting into it isn't she Garder…?" Roy said sardonically.

"I'm can't see anymore, whatever she is doing, I don't care…" Garder answered back, removing his glasses and crushing them in the palm of his hand, letting the lens fall to his feet. There would no longer be any reason to wear them anymore; he had used up the last of his sights during the fight. From now on, for the rest of his life, he would forever have to rely on his hearing to get around. For somebody who did that for 85% of his life, it wasn't much of a change. "Julius, tell the others to stay at a high altitude until further orders. We need to save ammo until necessary."

"Aye sir…"

Lucy finally stopped, keeping herself a few meters away from the shield because she honestly expected him to try to rush her in some mad attempt at sex before she could get a word in otherwise. Gazing longingly at her, he at least didn't do something just yet, although saying that was rather ironic as well. "I want you so much…" Where had she learned to talk like this? She had never thought of these words, though her mind did sometimes wander whenever she was near Kouta. "But we can do this if you have that around you…I want to mate with you." Roy himself had to admit, he'd have to slap himself…metaphorically…if this actually worked. Of course it wasn't like they had expected Lucy to suddenly pop up so the whole "Gather up everyone and break the shield" plan wasn't a bad idea. In his better, less insane days, Kakuzawa certainly wouldn't have been so foolish. In the older days, thought he was still a complete ass, Kakuzawa was still competent. Now though, corrupted by unrestrained power, Kakuzawa truly believed that he was immortal and invincible and God.

"Y-Yes! Of course!" Kakuzawa coughed happily, attempting to turn the machine off.

*Click*

At the sound, Lucy couldn't help but give one of her vicious smiles, the ones she used when she would violently rip a person apart. Except the shield didn't disappear and Kakuzawa looked utterly perplexed. "Wh-What is this?" Mumbling to himself, he pressed the switch to the machine located on his chest again and again, but after several clicks were heard it became obvious that the shield just wasn't going down. Fine then, he attempted to remove the entire machine from his body, something which proved impossible because it was now welded to his actual flesh. "I-Impossible! I can't…get it off! Wh-What have you humans done!"

"What have we done?" Roy growled. "You're the goddamn idiot who put it on!"

"So he can't take it off, or turn the shield off itself." Garder muttered lowly. "Typical from someone who has no experience with the machine he was using. Which means we continue from plan 'A' and you end up unable to have sex with Lucy."

Kakuzawa glowered at the other director, his face lining with rage. "…Do not…mock me…human. I will live forever…through space and time…I will exist as an omniscient being. I AM GOD! OOOOOH! OOOOOOH! I AM PERFECT! SO WHAT IF I CANNOT PROPAGATE THE GLORIOUS TRUE RACE DURING SEX! I CAN ALWAYS CLONE MY DEAR QUEEN LIKE THE ONES YOU MURDERED! THEY WILL SERVE ME FAITHFULLY! ISN'T THAT RIGHT MY QUEEN! OH! OH! OH! YES! THIS IS PERFECTION! THIS IS TRUE PERFECTION! KILL THEM MY QUEEN! KILL THEM! AHHHHH! AHHHHHHH! OH! OH! OH! OH!" He was moaning so loudly now his eyes were about to pop right out of his head. He began to violently shake as if an episode, spit wasn't even part of the equation; a full load of froth was spreading from his mouth, dripping in small puddles at his feet that evaporated under the vector shield. At the sight of Lucy jumping back and arching on her legs as if to attack him, Kakuzawa who had already lost it long ago, did a complete mental 360.

"DESPAIR! DESPAIR! WHY DOES THE QUEEN GO AGAINST ME! YOU HUMANS HAVE CORRUPTED HER! CORRUPT! OH! OH! OH! OH! OH! CORRUPT! YOU HAVE CORRUPTED HER PURE DICLONIUS SOUL! ALL OF YOU WILL GO TO HELL! ALL OF YOU WILL BURN! BURN! BURN! OH! OH! OH! OH! OHHHHHHHH!" All but the last most basic of instinctive mentality left, Kakuzawa charged like a wild animal, snarling, spitting and flailing his arms around. Knowing what to do well before anybody said a word otherwise, Lucy and the other Diclonius made one single movement before hundreds up hundreds of vectors smashed into the raging shield.

*BASH!*

Light reflected off each time a hand struck the shield, some compressed themselves against it, keeping the lunatic from taking any more steps. Roy shot his bullets off, adding just a bit more to the pressure. The air around grew thick before Garder ordered the first wave of fire from the jets. Julius flew in a head, taking the lead and shot fort a stream of missiles that were soon followed by others. Zooming down to their target, they exploded upon impact against the dome, the hands slashing, banging and attacking again and again. Small cracks were beginning to form around the outer edges of the shield.

"Keep it up girls! It's started to break!" Roy yelled before Garder gave the next order.

*BOOM!*

Fire and smoke filled the skies, the second barrage of missiles clashing against the shield. Then the next set exploded, a third. Kakuzawa was entire submerged in smoke but the attacks didn't stop coming. "OH! OH! OH! OH! AHHHHH! I CAN'T DIE! I CAN'T DIE! YOU FOOLISH HUMANS AND TRAITORS CANNOT HOPE TO BREAK MY PERFECTION! I AM GOD, I CREATE LIFE AND DEATH! I DECIDE YOUR FATE!

"My god would you shut the fuck up already!" The blue haired man screamed.

Julius took to the air, the other jets following him. "Garder sir, we're sending the last stream of weapons down on him." On his words they formed together, arching out into a 'V' shape and then blasting the shield with the last of the missiles. He took the jet, swerving it to the side while Victoria stood up quickly. "I'm going down there, I can be much more helpful there then I can be here." She said. Nodding once, Julius opened the cockpit window, the wind pounding into his face before Victoria literally leaped out of the plane, soaring through the sky 400 meters above the sky. The young Diclonius woman sped down, her vectors emerging and in a few short moments she landed with a resounding crash on the ground, her hands softening the impact. Wasting no more time, she instantly went on the offensive against Kakuzawa.

* * *

><p>Sipilet Number 7 stood outside of Kurama's hidden Diclonius hospital, her best friend Mayu clinging onto her arm for support. How wonderful it had been to see "Papa" again after all this time. Likewise Kurama, who had been in a morbid depression ever since his biological daughter's death, was finally able to find some happiness with Nana. Truly he owed her a lot, much more than he had ever given to her in her own life for sure. Yet Nana knew that she too had to take part in the fight against Kakuzawa. They needed all the help they could get and Mayu had been rather eccentric in making sure Nana didn't go.<p>

"You can't leave Nana! What if you get hurt? What would I tell Kouta, Yuka and Nazomi?"

She understood her friend's plight but she also understood that she had to do this. "I'm sorry Mayu, but I have to help them."

"She's right…" Kurama muttered. "Nana, I demand that you come back alive."

"Y-Yes Papa!" She said delightfully, smiling a cheerful little grin before lightly shaking off Mayu's grip and racing off. "I'll be back Mayu! I promise!"

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Another chapter finally complete. What will happen next time on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p> 


	74. Changing Measures For Dealing

**Chapter 73: Changing Measures For Dealing**

Under the pressure of such a hefty assault, Kakuzawa could do little more than lay on his knees as his shield was bombarded again and again by the influx of terrible hands. Most of the Diclonius had vectors already much longer than Kakuzawa so distance wasn't even a problem; there was however a very serious problem that Roy was beginning to notice. In retrospect they had the advantage, they were stronger than Kakuzawa, had more weapons at their disposal, everything but defense was on their side. Unfortunately the defense of Kakuzawa was something that was the most difficult to remove. It was just as they had feared, though they were damaging the vector shield, creating large cracks in it but never breaking.

"Come on! Put some oomph it Sheilas, unless you want to go back to the good old days!" Roy roared, slamming his bullets simultaneously into a single spot though doing no more extra damage than before. Caren, whose body was straining and her face running with sweat spat back at him. "I'm doing the best I can right now, seriously I feel like my body is going to explode!"

Victoria nodded at the statement. "S-Same here! We're all doing our best, we can't do any better."

"Of course…" Garder muttered coldly. "We do not have enough strength to completely break through that shield." Bando swerved around, growling back at the old man. "Then what the hell are we supposed to do?"

"…Diclonius…" He muttered, putting quite a bit of distaste in the word and speaking to Caren who didn't take the use of the word lightly. "What is it…?" She had caught herself because she had almost ended her sentence with "murderer."

"How long will it take you to use The Clock Stopper again?"

"Long time, probably 30 minutes or something I'm not very good with it." Caren said apologetically. Roy cursed aloud, stomping his foot roughly as he continued to blast the shield. "This is entirely pointless, we'll run out of stamina eventually. Garder can't you make contact with anybody else? I mean seriously you'd think the Japanese military would've been here by now." He spat on the ground, noticing some of the other Diclonius were beginning to shake, their stamina declining just as he had mentioned. "It may be due to circumstances. The military is still in disarray because the incident with Number 35, the rest are continuing to fix up the mess around Kamakura. To be truthful the military is probably hoping that we ourselves will manage to fix the problem."

Kakuzawa, though on his knees laughed manically at their futile attempts to stop God. "IGNORANT BEASTS! ALL OF YOU ARE IGNORANT BEASTS WHO DO NOT KNOW YOUR OWN PLACE! THE FLAMES OF HELL WILL WELCOME YOU SOON! OH QUEEN! OH BEAUTIFUL GODDESS! THEY HAVE CORRUPTED YOUR MIND BUT THEY WILL NOT CORRUPT YOUR BODY AND SOUL! I WILL GIVE YOU SALVATION AND YOU WILL BE THE MOTHER OF OUR RACE! OHHHH! OOOOOOOH!"

"I feel another Diclonius…" Caren began, looking over to her right. "It seems…oh no…" She suddenly moaned deeply looking more than a little disappointed. Roy was definitely curious, and gazed over to where she was looking at, then moaned deeply in his mouth too. "Seriously…of all the people who could have come…" Bando himself got curious to see what the issue was and seeing the person had to stile a moan of his own. "Crap! It's her…" Feeling rather let down, Nana wasn't sure why everyone was getting so upset about her. Victoria jumped back, noticing the girl and went towards her.

"I remember you, your number 7." She said simply.

"Uh…Y-Yeah! I'm here to help!"

Caren made a soft choking sound in her throat.

"I CAN HELP!" Nana shrilled childishly.

"Are you kidding me Number 7, you aren't exactly the most…dangerous of our kind." Caren replied darkly.

"Who cares, it's another number added to us. Number 7, we need to break that shield of Kakuzawa, join in and start attacking it." Garder ordered. But one extra person wasn't going to make a difference. The only thing they were doing now was wasting their own energy. It was becoming quite clear that it was plainly impossible to break their shield at their level right now. "I can't…keep this up…anymore…" Caren uttered breathlessly, collapsing on her knees and the other Diclonius soon followed, their entropy finally hitting level too harsh for them to contain. The wind blew ominously as they watched Kakuzawa rise up, his eyes glinting with madness.

"I AM GOD! DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW? MUST I PROVE IT SOME MORE? GAHAHAHAHAHA!"

What could they do now? His shield was starting to reform again, the cracks slowly disappearing. His face was alive with insanity, deplorable admiration for his own self. Right now, unless one of the Diclonius decided to completely flip and do a Mariko, which would end up doing much more harm than good anyways, beating Kakuzawa was out of the question. They had three options left. One they could die and that was the option nobody was choosing. Two, they could wait on luck for back up of some sort, one that probably wouldn't arrive anytime soon. Third and the one Garder was heading towards was:

"We must retreat…"

"Eh?" Caren's exclamation wasn't alone, most of the others were well in agreement. Roy came up to him. "Retreat mate? We've already gotten his far, if we go back now we have to start all over!" Garder, though blind, easily glared at his direction. "What do you expect we do then? At our numbers right now we still couldn't break his shield, and the other Diclonius are getting too tired to continue. Escape is easy, Kakuzawa has no way catch up to any of us and we can make changes of plans this way too." Garder answered back, his words being truthful and believable. The elderly director continued to speak.

"I suggest we break off into groups of 100 and split up from there."

"Sounds reasonable." Bando hissed.

The blue haired man nodded as well. "Alright then, we'll break it down into leaders. Garder I assume you'll take the lead of the first group. I'll take the second, Julius can take the third, Caren…"

"It's Carentorzulan…"

"…Whatever. Do you think you can handle a group on your own?" Roy asked. She nodded confidently. "I'm more than capable of handling it."

Garder glanced over at Victoria. "Can you take the lead of the last group?" She nodded as well. "I can sir, just leave it to me."

But Kakuzawa wasn't going to have any of that.

"AS IF I'D LET YOU ALL LEAVE! TRAITORS ARE DESTINED FOR HELL! THEY WILL LICK YOUR FLESH AND PEEL IT OFF BIT BY BIT!" The old man lunged forward, attempting to crush them all within the confines of his dome. No more time to waste or even think about anything else. Victoria and her group lunged into the sky with their vectors and shot off to the west, Kakuzawa roaring his displeasure to the world. "TRAITORS! TRAITORS! TRAITORS! HOW DARE YOU GO AGAINST GOD! I CREATED YOU! I CREATED EVERYTHING! I AM ALL!" Not wanting to stay and listen to his ranting any longer as well Caren too leapt into the sky with her group and shot forth to the East, more than glad not to listen to his insane ranting again. The next to leave was Julius of which Kakuzawa covered his face with his hands and bellowed even louder than before, if such a thing was possible. "TRAITORS!" Fourthly, Roy and Bando, much to their surprise were lifted up by the vectors of their group and were soon blasted off into the sky, Bando's rather eccentric yells even echoing over Kakuzawa's maddening voice. The last there was Garder, order his own group to take off as he stood alone with a very pissed off Kakuzawa.

"…Garder…Morotisan…you traitorous bastard! Just how long…have you been going against me?"

"Traitor? What sort of idiotic idea gave you that? I was more than willing to keep the Diclonius imprisoned and do the experiments for you. It was only when you decided to kill off humanity that I stepped in. You see Kakuzawa, not all of take the idea of completely extinction lightly. For now, you can say you have won this battle but as the old saying goes, you have yet to win the war." Flexing his body, he felt the insides of his body tense up. In a single bout of rage, Kakuzawa tried to slice him apart into unrecognizable pieces but before his hands could even reach him, Garder was already racing across the ground at inhuman speeds.

Livid as hell, Kakuzawa took his frustration out on the structures of Osaka and anybody still foolishly living there. Livid by the fact that his clones were dead, the very Queen he had been searching for disappearing from him and the complete lack of respect for his godhood, Kakuzawa personally made sure that anybody he caught was ruptured from the inside out. Soon enough he stood in the ruins of Osaka, the smell of gore wafting through his nose while the machine on his chest churned and rumbled. He was God, nobody, not a single person should ever go against his orders. It was the rule of law, no question, they…must…obey…him. He didn't have to give a reason at all, they had to, and they must obey! THEY MUST OBEY HIM!

"ALL OF YOU!" He screeched, pointing his finger at the last survivors of Osaka still brave enough to stand up to him. "YOU WILL FIND THEM! YOU WILL BRING THEM TO ME! YOU WILL DO IT NOW!" The humans merely looked at him as if he was some of asylum inmate who accidently escaped. It wasn't like he gave them some sort of gift for capturing them. Kakuzawa felt in his insane mind that those around him must obey him. "DO NOT STAND THERE YOU HUMANS! I DEMAND THAT YOU GO AND FIND THEM! FIND THE QUEEN!" They did do something though, the last of the survivors would soon join death. They began to laugh, a soft chuckle of simplistic laughter that left Kakuzawa momentarily speechless. "Y-YOU DARE TO LAUGHT AT GOD! I AM THE ONE WHO CREATED THIS WORLD! I AM LIFE AND DEATH! I DEMAND THAT YOU FIND LUCY! GO NOW!"

Laughter…simplistic, almost hearty laughter.

"Kuh…Gah….Y-You…Y-Y-You…f-foolish…little….p-pieces of…Ahhhh….Ahhh…DO NOT DARE LAUGH AT ME MORTALS!" Before he hacked and slashed at their bodies, their laughter not even stopping, no groans of pains, just an endless stream of mirth that rang in the Head Directors ears over and over again.

In the end, Osaka was no more than a ghost city, no people, no lives, nothing but death and destruction. Due to Kakuzawa and the clones, nearly 400,000 people had been killed. The rest had thankfully managed to evacuate but it certainly didn't leave a good message to the rest of the world. In one point the others had at least managed to weaken Kakuzawa, there would be no way he could get more clones ready after all but at the same time, to the world, it was retreat. They couldn't beat him , even with all they had, they still couldn't beat Kakuzawa.

For some people…he truly was beginning to look like God.

* * *

><p>Garder alone was able to keep up with the airborne girls, the air rushing past his face while his ears picked up on his surroundings. He kept his stoic glare set, only talking when one of the girls flew down near him. "Garder. None of us trust you, especially with all the things that you've done." For him, her voice was like a grating reminder of why he despised the Diclonius in the first place. Nevertheless, as if hoping she would go away he didn't speak and, though surprisingly, she continued to yap. "Don't think we've forgotten all of the things you've done to us. You said to us when you released us, that if we won we would have to go back to the facility. That will not happen."<p>

"Really…?" Garder finally murmured, keeping up the pace. "What gives that idea"

"It isn't an idea Garder, it's a fact. We won't let you."

"Very well then…if we managed to beat Kakuzawa and you all do not comply with what I have said. Then I will personally break your necks again and again until none of you are left standing. Shall I give an example right now, you incompetent child?" His remark sent both a chill down her spine and a furious rage through her heart because she knew he could do it. Garder F. Mortisan was not fighting for the freedom of Diclonius after all, he was doing it for the sake of humanity itself. So instead of retorting back to him, the young girl unnamed girl merely shifted away from him. "I won't bother you then sir…" She didn't say it threateningly or even sarcastically, she said it plainly leaving Garder alone to his thoughts, blind to the physical world.

…

…

And thinking of only a single name in his head.

"Veronica…"

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Happy Labor Day (For you Americans out there) For you good international people out there, Happy "Go Metric System" day! God knows we need it, seriously, we are litterally one of like...2 freaking countries who does not use the metric system. But enough of that, the next chapter is finally done and were nearing the end of the 4th arc of Pinpoint Lifeline. THough they were not able to beat him, our heroes (And by heroes we mean people that aren't Kakuzawa) managed to deliver a hefty blow to the director's defenses, but ultimately were not able to land a finishing blow. Osaka has been left derelict and all but completely destroyed as the others plan out their next strike.<p>

Meanwhile, across the open ocean, Elrya Alya desperately fights the greatest mental battle with in the King of Deceit Vladimir Cents.

Lastly, new mysteries abound, such as this new person "Veronica"

What will happen next time on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"


	75. Pinpoint Conviction

**Chapter 74: Pinpoint Conviction**

It was taking everything, not just body but all of her mind and soul just to keep herself from screaming at the very top of her lungs. If possible the only thing worse than the pain was Vladimir's incisive laughter that constantly bombarded her thoughts and ultimately kept Alya at bay. The vectors, hundreds of them beyond her bodies control ripped the world apart in an extraordinary scene of destruction. Sweat and perhaps even a bit of her flesh was already slowly running down her face, only increasing her hellish pain. Her arms were red and scabbed, the skin peeling off and revealing small bits of the muscles. Alya herself was desperately trying to cling onto her subconscious, valiantly fighting her way to take control again of her own mindset. Unable to even keep herself up, the young Diclonius girl collapsed on her side and curled up into a fetal position, coughing up blood and very well her own soul.

"_**Giving up now? Going to stop now? How quaint!"**_

She wasn't giving up though; she had no intentions of giving up this time. However her body had hit a level of such exquisite agony that she wasn't even sure that she was alive right now. A high pitched screech escaped her lips before she forcibly rolled onto her back, the multiple hands ripping through the ground while she tried her hardest to keep them from hurting the innocent. Her poor body went into convulsions, her own eyes rolling up into the back of her head while the insensitive dark laughter continued to echo inside of her head. Would it be the last thing she would hear before she died? Would she forever hear that demented chuckle from that bastard who ruined her life? Would this be the last thing that her miserable mind would remember in her most miserable end?

"…Help me…somebody…help me. Please help me Alya!"

"I'm trying! Elrya don't give up! Please!"

Miriana could do nothing more than watch and cry out to her friend the same thing that Alya too was crying out. But she needed something more than just words of encouragement. Words alone would never stop Cents, not when his evils had corrupted her this far. His dark mind overpowered theirs, he leeched on their torture like a parasite, relishing in all the suffering he was causing. _**"This has been fun Elrya Alya, not since 15 years ago have I had such splendid enjoyment. However it's about time we put an end to this little farce of dreams. Goodbye."**_

Pain!

Pain!

Agonizing pain!

Pain…forever…

"_I need help! I need help so much! You're always asking for my help Elrya and I've always been happy to help you. You were my first friend, my only friend, and I never regret a single bit of our lives together. I want to help you so much Elrya, because being with you has shown me new ways of life that I would never have thought possible. You're asking me for help despite everything I did for you._

_I killed your mother, it was my entire fault!_

_I murdered her and then laughed; I had actually enjoyed it though I regret it so much now. I'm the reason your life was so bad right now. I'm the reason you had to live those horrid years in the facility. Yet despite the fact that I've helped caused all these problems for you, despite the fact that I've helped make your life so miserable, you keep asking me for help. _

_But…I need help right now."_

…

…

"_Alya…do you need help? Do you need me to help you? I've always been asking for your help, no I've always been begging you for help. I've always reached out to you and hoped you would be able to save me. Every time I did, you've always been there for me, always had your hand out there for me to grab. You were my only friend that I knew, the only person I could talk to during those harsh years. Even now I don't see you as just a mere part of me, I see you as my greatest friend in the whole wide world._

_I've always been asking you for help and you've always been there for me. Whenever I was in a situation that I couldn't handle and I cried out your name, you were always there for me. Not once, did I ever think that you needed help. Not once did I think somebody as brave as you would need my help. _

_Alya…do you need my help?"_

…

…

"_Yes! Yes! Yes! I don't want to be a cold murderer, just an instinct in your head! I don't want to be just that little voice who people are frightened of! I don't want to live like that anymore! It hurts Elrya, it really hurts inside. The fact that I'm the main reason your life was so bad and yet you constantly ask me for help, I don't understand it at all! If I wasn't around, Yin would still be alive! It's my entire fault._

_Oh God!_

_It's my entire fault!_

…

…

"_Not it isn't! I won't let you say that Alya! Even if you…did do a few things, I was just as part of it as you. Besides I should be apologizing to you, I…attacked you, I tried to kill you! How could I do such a thing to the first person that I could call friend. I'm sorry for always asking you for help and never seeing if you too needed help as well. Yin is dead, Yin's gone and the bastard who killed him in front of our very eyes is still here! He's never going to come back, even though it hurts us both so much to know that fact. But we have to stop this monster, this evil monster who has destroyed lives again and again. You promised me that you would always be by my side no matter what. I too will always be by your side, until the very end. _

_Alya…I want to help you. _

_I'm going to help you._

_We can do this together. We can beat him! I will not let you regret the past Alya, not after what you did for me these many years. I'm always going to be by your side, always and forever. Alya, I want to help you and I want you to help me. So let's fight him together. Let's beat him together. For Yin Sandersas's memory, let's beat him together! _

…

…

"_Yes. I understand Elrya! Thank you! I will help you! Help me! Together we'll beat him! We'll show him what happens when you try to hurt the ones we care about! We'll make him pay! We'll make him pay for everything! I'll never leave your side, not once, not ever, not a single moment will I leave your side. _

_Let's do this Elrya…let's take him down!_

* * *

><p>The young girls that had been under Julius' watch huddled together upon a large stretch of flat land, the landscape a vivid field of green and beauty. Raising their heads as they heard the rumbling noise of the jet engine before Julius finally landed a few meters away, the girls following shortly after. Stepping out of the black machine, Julius gazed up at the sky before making a short 360 degree turn with his body, glancing at his surroundings but mostly keeping his attention to the far horizon. He, as well as the other Diclonius could feel the sensation from the others, which would at least make it easy for everyone to know where each person was. Unfortunately Julius and Garder were the only people who could make contact with each other, something which was done in a few short minutes. Lifting the small black radio from his pocket, the male Diclonius answered curtly.<p>

"I am here sir; I guess everything went alright on your side. What do you want us to do?"

"Good, you are the only one I can contact so once I give you the information; I want you to head out to the others to explain. I'm sure with their numbers you can sense each of their locations." Garder said strictly while the Second Cent agreed with his statement. "Julius, our numbers are too weak right now to beat Kakuzawa, you know this well enough. The first thing I want done is the complete destruction of Kakuzawa's facility. I don't know if he has anything left over there but we can't risk him gaining more numbers on his side. It was because of this that we lost a reasonable set of our numbers."

"I understand, I will send the jet armada over there immediately. What do you want my group to do?"

"As I said, we need numbers and weapons on our side. I myself am going to head over to the closest military base. I won't be able to get much but I can at least get a few. After all I was a general so I do have credentials. Hopefully humanity hasn't lost all of its hope because of the Head Director. Depending on the firepower I can attain, if I'm lucky I may be able to collect enough soldiers which along with the Diclonius, can finally destroy that shield. Of course though, I am not going on luck. It's about time humanity got up and fought too.

Firstly, tell Roy and Number 21 (Caren) to head to the nearest cities and demand some help." He put great emphasis on the word "demand" because that's exactly what they needed. Humanity had two choices now, only two, they could fight back or they could all die because Kakuzawa sure as hell wasn't going to let them live. "Demand that they pick up arms, even the lightest of guns if that's all and fight. Demand that they attack! If they do not do this, then give them this second option.

Get a gun, put in their mouths and fire."

"Understood sir. What next?"

Garder thought for a moment. "The same thing for Victoria's group. Tell her to head to the closest populated location and demand some help. As for your group, let them stay where they are until further orders. In fact we'll use your group as the meeting location, once you talk to the others and they can…hopefully…collect some goods, let them meet over to you"

"Aye sir, I understand. I will contact you as soon as I am done."

* * *

><p>Garder stood crossed arm, his eyes closed but speaking out to the group. "We are going to stay here for right now. I have given orders to Julius Javel, he will contact me when he has finished those orders. Until then stay here and do not move unless I order it."<p>

"Why should we do something? Do you still not trust us?"

"No, I do not trust you. But I do know that I need your support to win this war. Do not question my authority Diclonius, I am a general, a veteran warmonger who has fought in countless battles. I know what it means to be tactical." He stopped, cleared his throat and said in a more surprisingly gentle voice. "I need your support in this fight. Without you, there is no way that I can win this war." Listening to him, the girl who spoke out lowered her own voice and spoke in a much softer tone. For those who knew Morotisan, this was the first time they had ever seen him act so…soft. He still had the same cold form but he wasn't being so rough with them anymore. He had even allowed Victoria to join him along with Julius, indicating that he was slowly, ever so slowly, beginning to accept them, thought obviously not completely.

"You said a name a while ago, Veronica…who was that?"

"…Veronica was a Diclonius that fought in the war with me 15 years ago. Before all of this with the facilities happened of course and we were not in Japan anyways.

…And she was my daughter…

…Veronica Q. Morotisan."

* * *

><p>"This is Julius Javel, Number Zero of the Garder Facility speaking to Commander Rukarus." The radio in Julius's hand buzzed a bit before a gravelly voice finally spoke out. "I am here, what do you want us to do?" The jets above him flew in a circle. Julius would talk to the commander above and then said commander would speak to his men. They were part of Garder's field officers and though they had been surprised about Julius, of whom they had always seen him wearing a hat, being a Diclonius, his stern attitude and human conscious made him a person that they could respect. Some of them didn't even view him as a Diclonius and he had been quite explicit in referring to him as another human being.<p>

"I spoke to Garder, he wants you to head over to Kakuzawa's facility and destroy it. No chances to be taken."

"Understood, but we're going to have to return to Garder's facility first and collect more ammo. We used up all of ours in the first assault against Kakuzawa."

"Aye, once you've completed your task, come back here. Over and out." Julius watched as the machines rose up to the gain altitude then shot with a resound bang over the horizon. "The rest of you, listen up. I just received the plans from Garder and I'm heading off to see the others and deliver the message. Unless something happens, I need you all to stay here. I will return back in about an hour." The Diclonius nodded shortly, trusting Julius and doing exactly what he said. The pink haired man leapt into his black jet, started the engine and it too blasted into the sky. Soaring through the air, Julius couldn't help but have his thoughts travel over to the massive feeling that had most certainly come from Elrya.

"Julius!"

The male Diclonius decided for the most part to ignore Victoria's rather childish outcry and the young woman, apparently noticing her nature tried her best to go into a more docile and mature setting. "Uh…I mean hello Julius." There was a bit of snickering going around her, causing her to blush wildly but causing those laughing to stop when one of her vectors slashed the ground violently. Julius on his part said nothing, more or less trying to ignore it as not to get dragged into the whole ordeal. "Garder wants you and the others to head towards the closest city, which be west from here, and attempt to gather people to join us. We need numbers, the more we have, the better. He also made it rather clear that you are to demand help from me. For those who have a way to fight back but refuse to do so…kill them."

"Kill?" Victoria muttered softly.

"Aye. Kakuzawa plans to murder them all anyways, if they don't want to help then kill them. No need to let them wait any longer." Julius said strictly, eyeing the young woman strongly before she bowed her head curtly. "Of course, I think I can motivate them." Victoria snapped her fingers once, unnecessary but apparently something that she just felt like doing before brushing the thick locks of her hair out of her eyes. Then without warning, she jumped straight into him, wrapping her arms around his body in a tight hug, and buried her head deep inside of his chest. "As usual you are being annoying, more so than usual." Julius uttered simply though doing nothing to push her off.

"I know that, I'm sorry for being such a nuisance. Julius I want to be with your forever. I love you so much."

"You barley know me." The male Diclonius responded swiftly, lightly pushing her off much to her displeasure. "Do not try to claim such emotions for me, especially without knowing me. As I said to you it was better if you didn't know me." But she wouldn't have any of that, she stepped forward, once again wrapping her arms around him. He had to repress another sigh, quite irked with her selfless attitude. "My name is Victoria Javel, that's the name you gave me, the first name that is. I chose the last one for a reason you know. I want to be more than just an acquaintance to you Julius, I want to be so much more." Just like usual, just like she always was to him, an annoying person who just didn't know when to call it quits. But then again he also like challenges and her constant attempts to get emotionally connected to him, while highly bothersome, did have that note of challenge. She just didn't know how to give up and truthfully he liked that.

Sighing deeply Julius placed his hand on the top of her head, ruffling her pink hair lightly. "I will say this again, you are highly annoying. You are perhaps the most annoying person I have ever known in my life. I guess I would be lying though if I said you don't interest me Victoria. After all as annoying as you are, what I said before still counts. You are an important person to me and I would not want anything to happen to you." Julius said, looking just as stoic as usual while having a normal conversation though Victoria was already leaning against his chest, gaining another soft giggle from the group behind them. "Victoria Javel…"

"Yes…?" She asked blushing deeply.

"Follow my orders and follow the orders of our boss Garder F. Morotisan." Julius aid sternly, brushing aside the young woman who looked crestfallen but almost instantly perking up. "Y-Yes sir! You heard him girls we need to head over to the city and shows these humans just what kind of people we truly are! Go on, I'll catch up in a few seconds." Her group cried out before leaving, the sound of their hands rushing through the air and leaving the two Diclonius alone. Julius gazed up at them, watching them quickly vanish before walking up to the young woman. "Good. Now that they're gone I don't feel as embarrassed in doing this." He placed his left hand under her chin, surprising her before lightly pressing his lips on her own. He didn't keep them on for long, for most people it could hardly be qualified as a kiss. It might have been better to say that he had accidently gotten too close to her and breathed into her face. Yet even though it lasted for only a second, Victoria would cherish the moment for the rest of her life. He didn't smile, he kept that same stoic face that she always admired before he turned around.

"I'm putting my faith in you Victoria…my love. Until we meet again." Julius spoke to her, even wiping another strand of her livid pink hair out of her eyes before he went to continue the operation that Garder had given him. Watching as the plane disappeared into the sky, Victoria smiled more brightly than she had ever done before, putting her left index finger to her lips. The memory of that moment would never leave her, she'd keep it until the day she died. Nor would she forget his words to her, she would remember those as well, to the very day that she died. He placed his faith in her, he had promised to meet her again but more importantly….

He called her his love.

She wrapped her arms tightly around her body before uttering softly to herself childishly. "Yay…"

The Zero Point took his jet forward, heading over to the next group which be Roy and of which was having a rather difficult time because of the unfortunate incident that Lucy was with him and it was taking all of Bando's will power not to attempt to break her neck. In more than one instant he actually had to be held by the others when the Queen started making remarks to him. Then he would go to Caren, tell her what needed to be done then return back to his Diclonius before giving the news to Garder. Flying through the sky, the clouds passing by, he thought of Victoria before narrowing his eyes. "She's a nice woman, I have no regrets or lies of what I said…

…I do wish though…that she could be a little less bothersome."

* * *

><p><em><strong>!<strong>_

Vladimir's mind was pushed down by some sort of mental force, his thoughts momentarily shocked at the sudden pressure that was compressed against him. Another force, even more powerful than the last smashed against his thoughts, and in the simplest of terms, put him down to his mental knees. _**"Eh? This pressure…what is it? Is that you…Elrya Alya…" **_He thought heavily, his concentration shaking wildly before the vectors that were hovering dangerously above in the sky suddenly lunged down like a striking snake. They struck through the Diclonius' head, not doing physical damage but piercing right to her thoughts and directly attacking Vladimir himself who mentally flinched at the attack. _**"Gah! Kuh!" **_Elrya Alya wouldn't allow him to go any further, it was her body ,her mind, her soul, hers alone and she wouldn't let him have it. Her hands merged together inside of her own head, striking Vladimir again and again as his mind was pushed down further and further.

"_I'll beat you…Vladimir Cents. We'll beat you…until you cease to stand. For Yin, Miriana, for everyone you've ever tormented. We'll beat you!" _

*BAM!* Vladimir struggled against the intense pressure on his thoughts, struggling to remain in control but at the same time chuckling deeply inside of the girl's head. He concentrated and struck a blow himself, striking the girl's own mind and sending into a disarray of psychological deterioration. Alya flinched, losing her balance in Elrya's mind while Elrya too whimpered in pain. It was battle of the minds, desperately pushing against Vladimir, to finally beat him! Elrya promised to be there for Alya, Alya promised to be there for Elrya. Together, they promised to beat this bastard once and for all. But Vladimir's twisted judgments smashed into her, pushing her back. _**"Keh! Ka! Ka! Ka! Bwa! Ha! Ha! How quaint, how long will you keep fighting? How long can you keep it up? GUH!"**_

But Vladimir suddenly found himself unable to keep control, Alya was pushing directly against him along with Elrya, the two minds working together to finally take the mad king down once and for all. Harder! Harder! For everything he did to her, for the horrible sins he had committed, she vowed to win. This was her conviction, to overpower his desires, she had to win! For if she lost, then she would lose everything that was dear to her! Her life, her mind, her memories, she would lose it all to this monster.

"_**Ah…Ahhhh….Guah…Gaaaaah….!"**_

"_I won't let you win! I won't let you win! This is my conviction Vladimir Cents! I'm going to win, no matter what, I will win! We will beat you! Do you understand me Vladimir Cents! I'm going to make you pay…for everything you've done. _

…_Now…"_

*BAM!*

She struck once, rage and anxiety filling every pore in her body and every cell in her brain. Vladimir growled in displeasure, as if he couldn't believe she was actually doing it. His struggle for domination is harsh and cruel against the young girl's body but even though she's in utter pain, even screaming at points, she doesn't once give up. She only concentrates harder and mentally attacks the man who murdered Yin Sandersas. He murdered him, blew his brains right out of his head and the look of horror on her lover's face was like a haunting memory. If she lost now, she would lose all the good memories she had of him. He didn't deserve to go through this, he didn't deserve to die.

*BAM!*

But she would live for him. She would save Miriana and bring her back home! She would not let Vladimir win, she couldn't, her very conviction refused to let him win. Even if she died doing so, even if she lost every single bit of breath in her body, she would win! For his sake, for her sake, for everyone's sake. Even if she couldn't kill him completely, even if he was permanently part of her mind and Alya, they would beat him!

"…_I'm going to win…_

…_I'm going to beat you…_

…_Until you cease to stand…"_

"…_**Gah! Haa! Haa! Ahhhh! Ahhhhhh! Ah! Ah!"**_

"…_That man you murdered…his name was Yin Sandersas."_

_**!**_

"_He was a European man who came to Japan. The first time I met him…I didn't trust him one bit. But I slowly began to care and love him and I wanted to know all I could about him. One day I'm going to have to tell his family and friends of what happened that day. The day you murdered him in cold blood! I'm going to tell him exactly how it happened as well, how you cruelly took his life when he had no way to defend himself! I'm also going to tell them how he bravely fought against you, to protect not just me but everyone! You may have murdered him you monster…but you won't murder his memory!_

_**!**_

"_...This is my conviction Vladimir Cents…you'll never be able to break it!"_

_**!**_

"_Alya, for Yin's memory…let's beat him together…"_

"…_Yes!"_

"…_**Am I…going to lose…?"**_

…

…

"_BEGONE VLADIMIR CENTS!"_

Time slowed down for a split second, it certainly felt like it for sure. For a single moment Vladimir finally understood the shocking truth. He would lose, he would lose to this girl that he had sworn as his rival. His desires which he had been hell bent on delivering would be beaten by her conviction. Her conviction, which he mocked as mere dreams. The very thought rushed through his consciousness before with one single movement, she finally struck him down. A single blow straight into his mid. No time to yell, no time to think, the only thing he would heard in that split second was her scream of hate for him and the scream of conviction. Then at last it shattered, the shattering of desires and the rise of conviction as Elrya Alya shrieked aloud.

And with that single moment finished…with the vectors disappearing and the young girl laying on her pain racked body…Vladimir's consciousness disappeared.

…

…

"…Elrya…Alya?" Miriana mumbled nervously, walking up the fallen young Diclonius girl before moaning loudly. Of course walking on her beaten up form was something that just shouldn't be done. Yet she had to know, was that her friend there, her best friend who tried to save her? Elrya spat and shivered, small tears dripping from her eyes and her breath came out airlessly. Smoke wafted through her nostrils, making it harder to breathe but the pink haired girl still managed to lift her head up just enough to look at the multi-haired girl. "M-Miriana?"

"…Elrya? Alya?"

"…Yeah…it's me."

Crying to the world, Miriana embraced her friend on the ground in the greatest hug she could and for the Diclonius, nothing was better than the warmth of her friend's touch. "Ah…Guh…" Miriana stopped, fearing for the girl's body and feeling rather sick at her rather bloody form. "W-Will you be alright?" Elrya moaned deeply, taking in a few deep breaths then answering in a strain but confident voice. "Yes…I can do this…" Much to Miriana's shock, Elrya started to push herself up, the young human girl desperately trying to keep her down as not to open up old wounds. "Don't worry Miriana, I know what I'm doing…" How long she knew this was unknown to her, but she finally understood herself and her powers. Taking in a single deep breath she concentrated all of her thoughts before bringing out her vectors.

"I'll help, don't push yourself Elrya." Alya added.

The arms passed over her flesh, the ghostly fingers stitching up the flesh much to Miriana's surprise. She may have had the ability to do it all this time but it was only now that it truly came to her. Besides as a Diclonius she already had amazing healing capabilities, what was to say that was part of the vector's abilities? Although she managed to heal most of her wounds, her body was still in pain and her stamina still low. She would have to rest a bit before she could continue and the Hungarian military was already on them, guns raised and foreign orders being given. Miriana instantly jumped up, shielding Elrya Alya with her arms. "Y-You can't shoot her! She didn't mean to do any of this!"

More foreign words and guns being clicked, though their actions wasn't a bit surprising. Elrya had just gone and murdered people and nearly destroyed the place and it wasn't like she could give evidence that she was under the control of a twisted man who was technically also dead. Elrya however did not show any fear or anger at them, their actions were expected but she would not be killed by them, not yet at least. She had something to do, over in Japan where her friends were fighting, for the sake of both Diclonius and humans.

"Do any of you speak…Japanese?" She asked. They looked at each, before the man that Miriana had spoken to walked up and answered in his broken voice. "I speak…a little of it." The Diclonius looked closely at him, and then replied. "I have to go to Japan and help my friends over there. I did not mean to kill anybody here or do so much damage. I'm going to help beat Kakuzawa, once and for all and then I will gladly accept my punishment here. I'm sorry but it's just something that needs to be done. My friend over there, Miriana, she's a good girls and she needs some help. Promise me that until I come back, you guys will take good care of her.

Secondly…over there." She wasn't sure how to give the direct location so she merely pointed her finger there. "…Something really bad happened there. Something that I will remember for the rest of my life. A man who was very important to me was killed over there…" She than began to give a description of his body and was stopped by the old man with a raised finger. "This man…what was his name?"

"…His name was Yin Sandersas, why?"

"…Yin was…my youngest son. Are you telling me that he's dead?"

She'd never thought she'd have met Yin's father under these circumstances. Was it luck, coincidence, or something greater than that? Nevertheless she was going to speak the truth, just as she told Vladimir at the end. "I'm sorry sir, Yin came with me to save Miriana over there and he was killed trying to protect me and her."

"…How do you know Yin?"

She starred at the ground, sniffing slightly. "It's a bit hard to explain, but I met Yin in Japan and he was…well we began to know each other a lot better. He was a very good person, who always took care of me and I loved him very much. He was my lover and my husband. Not officially but we had planned on getting married. I…" She couldn't help it, every single memory was rushing inside her about him. "…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let him come, I should never have met him. If we had never met, then he would still…be alive. Hnnn! I'm s-sorry! I'm sorry Yin! I'm s-so sorry!" Unable to help it, she buried her face inside of her hands, crying loudly and unable to take any more of the pain filled memories. "Ahhhh!"

"Do you have to go now?" He finally asked, catching her off guard. "Wh-What do you mean?" She asked nervously, the wet teardrops dripping down her cheeks.

"Do you have to go right now? Can you wait a little bit?" He asked again.

"…Wh-Why?"

He sighed, furrowing his eye brows and moving his own eyes in which Elrya knew that was trying his best not to cry himself. She didn't know why he wasn't, there was no need to be brave or strong right now. He had even more right to cry then she did, after all his own son had died and the person partially responsible for it was right in front of him. In all honesty he should grab the closest gun and attempt to blow her brains out. Yet it was not words of infuriation that left his lips, but something else.

"…I just think…that the wife of Yin Sandersas…should at least stay to see his funeral."

How much her heart constricted when he said those words. Unable to answer, she could only nod her head once as she cried even more harshly than before. "Of course…if you really mean it. I know you don't know me at all but believe me when I say that I loved Yin from the very bottom of my heart."

* * *

><p>She had never seen a real funeral so she had no idea how much different a Hungarian one would be from a Japanese funeral. Miriana, walking on clutches stood by her side, leaning her head against her friend's shoulder for both support and to comfort the girl. Yin's father stood next to her as well, having spoken with the military and apparently having offered her some sort of pardon although she still promised to return. It was her responsibility to pay for her actions after all. Whenever words were spoken, Yin's father would do his best to translate for her and it only made her gasp from the sadness but it also gave her the greatest of happy memories as well. She would never forget him, she would pass his name on and let the world know the greatness that he strived to do.<p>

More would have to be done with Yin's body, and if she was to be executed when she returned, she would pay one last visit to it. Now however, as she raised her head up to the sky she knew what had to be done. Stepping back, she ignored some of the frantic voices as the wind kicked around her, strong and tense she brought out her hands and began forming them together into a pair of make shift wings. Though invisible, had they been able to see them, Elrya Alya would've looked like a lovely angel, brave and unafraid anymore.

"I'll be back Miriana, rest easy my friend. I'm going to Japan, to beat Kakuzawa and change the history of the world."

"…I understand! Good luck Elrya! Good luck Alya! Thank you so much!"

Elrya Alya took a single step forward, then another before she went into a long sprint, racing across the field with the wind blowing her hair back. "That's right…I'm not afraid anymore. I'm not afraid Yin Sandersas. I'm not afraid of anything anymore. So please rest easy and one day, I hope to meet you again and then we can be together forever. Until then though, even though you aren't alive, you'll always be in my heart."

Faster!

Faster!

Racing with her heart beating extravagantly, the tears flew through the air but her confidence didn't dwindle one bit. Like an arrow from a bow she shot forth, using her make shift wings to lift herself into the sky, she soared like a truly majestic angel through the blue lined skies. "Are you ready Alya?" And her friend answered with the same confidence that she had always known for her to have. "You bet Elrya, always and forever." So they flew, on ghostly wings of conviction they streaked across the blue towards the country of ruin, her heart beating with fearless pride and self-assurance.

"_I am…no longer afraid…"_

* * *

><p>Author's Note: And thus ends the final chapter of the fourth arc in "Pinpoint Lifeline." After a vicious battle, both physiclaly and mentally, Elrya Alya has finally managed to fully defeat Vladimir Cents. Unafraid of anything anymore, she takes to the skies and races off to Japan. The final arc of "Pinpoint Lifeline" is coming up, what will happen next.<p>

R&R


	76. Strange Apologies Assortments

**Chapter 75: Strange Apologies Assortments**

Completely livid, there was no other word to describe the pure unrestrained fury that spread through Kakuzawa's entire body. So much hate for humanity, so much hate for the traitors, and so much hate for everything in the world. One should not turn against The Creator, The Almighty, and The Omnipotent! Yet those bastards, those things lower than the filthiest of dirt had the nerve to laugh at him. They had guffawed at him, mocked him, and he had dealt with them accordingly. Now they were in Hell as he very well knew because he was always right. They would always be in Hell, all of them screaming! Yet he couldn't get the incisive laughing out of his ears, the constant mockery of his divinity. Laughing! How dare they laugh at him!

They are burning! He does not need to clarify it, his word is law. They who mock him are burning, flames licking their flesh, melting their bones and pain increased a thousand fold. They have to be in pain, the absolute most horrifying pain. But the laughter, the sneering looks; it drove into his mind again and again like steak knives. All alone, outside with nobody around to hear him, Kakuzawa began screaming obscenities to the sky.

"BURN! YOU MUST BURN! BURN! BURN! BURN!" Screeching each word, he knows that as God his word is law and that they will burn where their pitiful bodies have gone to in death. He is always right for God is always right. "BURN MAGGOTS! BURN!" But he has to scream it, believing that as he roars his insanity to the air that his wishes will be granted. Each ear splitting yell is made up of the twisted belief that if he says it, it will happen. If only he could see it, their mangled bodies being tortured for eternity. He wanted to see their horrified faces being torn apart by demonic hands, tears streaming down their faces as the realization hit them. He wanted to hear their begging voices, pleading to how sorry they were for disobeying him. Reaching out to God for forgiveness but only screaming as they were dragged back down and the spears plunged into their body.

The only thing he did hear was laughter though. Simple mirth as if somebody had said a decently good joke, a joke about him! Instead of seeing the rotting flesh of victims who dare to oppose him, he saw in his mind, mockery! So bad was his hallucination that he grabbed his head and fell to his knees, shrieking at every rock, grass and cloud as if they too were against him. "BURN! BURN! DO YOU NOT KNOW WHO I AM! DO YOU NOT KNOW YOUR PLACE! THEY WILL ALL SUFFER FOR ETERNITY!" Yelling out loud and alone to himself, the madman clawed at his own face then raised his finger to the sky, screaming inhumanely. "PERISH! PERISH! PERISH!" Surely as God each word would smite though bastards who did this to him. Those bastards and traitors were certainly clutching at their throats, scratching and bleeding froth right now.

Anything he said was right! He was always right because he was perfect. Because he was perfect, beyond perfect, he can never be wrong. It is impossible for God to be wrong and so, if he says they are suffering, then surely without question they are suffering. "THIS IS WHAT YOU GET MORTALS! THIS IS WHAT YOU DESERVE! YES! BURN! BURN! OH! OH! OH! OH! AH!" Yet despite going into a senile fit, images of smirking faces filled his head, always followed by amusement.

There were too many humans on this planet.

There were too many traitors on this planet.

So as God…it was his right, power and ability to get rid of them. Mouth open in a wide circle and his eyes nearly popping out of his own sockets, he raised his hands to the sky, viewing himself as the universe and all the things around him inferior. The world he saw, the universe he saw was beyond what mere mortal playthings could ever hope to comprehend. Something erupted from his throat, a sickening guttural sound as drool slipped down his cheeks, splashing on his feet while his body shook uncontrollably. One might have thought he was having a seizure now or some sort of stroke. His mad eyes starred in opposite directions, still shaking, still mad as ever.

"PERISH!"

That was it. They were all dead. That blue haired bastard, the traitor Nirlinya or whatever the hell she called herself now. They were all dead by his word and in Hell, suffering in eternal damnation. Of course The Queen was still alive; he needed her to birth more pure, correct and perfect Diclonius. Obviously she had been corrupted, his poor Goddess, by the mundane logic and filthiness of the human race. Oh poor beauty, destined to stand by his side as his own, she had to be cleansed of such horrific ideals. She was alright now; he had sent all of them to their rightful place in Hell, where they were writhing horrifically. He just had to find her now, and she would soon see the error in her ways and come to join him just as it was always meant to be. With such thoughts he finally began to calm down enough to finally get a grip on a bit of reality and head back to his own facility.

In which reality smacked him again in his self-conceited face.

…

…

Unable to say a single word Kakuzawa merely gazed out at the burning island of what was once his proud facility. Flames shot into the air while a billowing cloud of smoke soared into the sky, mocking him in some sort of way in his sick mind. "IMPOSSIBLE!" He wiped his hands through the air; where the fires ceased to blow and the smoke stopped rising and his facility was reconstructed by his divine power. So when none of that happened and the fires still licked the world, he clawed at his throat and spat up. Something was wrong, he had willed his facility to return and yet it continued to burn, and there was nothing that could go against God, nothing at all. What would he do next? Would he start screaming at an object such an island to burn in Hell as well and claim that it did because of his own twisted logic? In his thoughts of horrific denial he implicated that all the humans he had to cross to get here and that he murdered would be sent to Hell and his word, as God, was law. He wouldn't accept under any notion, under any contradiction that was made, that he was wrong.

"OOOOOOOH! OOOH! OH! OH! OH! OH! I WILL CREATE A NEW WORLD! COME TO ME MY GODDESS!" Where was Lucy? Where was the Diclonius Queen as he ordered it to be? Why was she not standing there, offering her body to him as these things about his shield was just lies made up by the scum known as humans? Was he not clear enough in his will to bring her here? Was he not clear enough perhaps to the normality of the laws of the universe? He was the greatest thing ever, unequaled by anything possible. "I COMMAND THAT LUCY! MY QUEEN! MY GODDESS! STAND BEFORE ME THIS INSTANT!"

Nothing.

Lucy who should be standing by him because he willed it was not standing there. His face twisted in inconceivable fury that the world and law was still going against him. How explicit did he have to be for it to understand that he was the most supreme being ever? Right now, at that very instant, Queen Diclonius Lucy should be right next to him, personally offering herself to him so that may propagate true Diclonius. At one point he thought that he just didn't see her clearly and like a true idiot circled around three times until he had no choice but to inevitably conclude that she was not there. For the strangest of reasons, despite being God and willing Lucy to come, she had not. Any logical person would have concluded that they were not God, though any logical person would have concluded that well before Kakuzawa completely lost his marbles.

"WHY? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? WHY DO YOU GO AGAINST GOD? WHY? I AM PERFECT, COMPLETE, IMMORTAL, I AM ALWAYS RIGHT! LUCY SHOULD BE HERE! THEY SHOULD ALL BE DEAD! I AM ALWAYS RIGHT! I AM GOD! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? I CANNOT LOSE, I CANNOT BE WRONG, I AM ALWAYS CORRECT! WHERE IS SHE, WHY IS SHE NOT HERE? MY WILL MUST BE OBEYED! I CREATED EVERYTHING, LIFE, DEATH, THE UNIVERSE ITSELF! I CREATED IT ALL SO I AM RIGHT! COME TO ME LUCY!"

Nothing.

"I COMMAND THAT YOU APPEAR BEFORE ME!"

Still nothing.

A man who, though arrogant beyond belief, was still intelligent enough to know logic and fact had now become something that was truly beyond human. Unfortunately it was not what Kakuzawa had wished; he did not become the true envoy of God's divine power. Instead he trapped himself in his delusional world, unable to recognize his own mistake. Even if somebody told him all the reasons why he was wrong and presented the facts so clearly that it was impossible deny it, he would deny it anyways. He'd ignore any implication of logic because he both refused to do it and in a sense, he was unable to refuse it. Wrapped so tightly around his ideals Kakuzawa was a shell of his former self.

The gargling mess of flesh, blood and bones could hardly be qualified as human anymore.

* * *

><p>"Must…resist…breaking…pink haired bitches neck…"<p>

To be truthful, most of the Diclonius standing a good 4 meters away from the burly soldier was rather understandable as Bando had been muttering death threats before and after Julius' arrival and given Lucy more than a few death glares. For the Queen herself, she saw him more as an annoying fly that she could swat at any moment, something that Bando saw and the underestimation of him did little quell his burning anger. The group was heading to, as Julius as told them, to the nearest city in the hopes that humanity wasn't a complete fuck up right now. However with the glorious partnership of Bando and Lucy, that might not be possible if they tried to kill each other first. "Yo…Roy…give me…some bullets…" Bando hissed dangerously Roy only shrugging his armless shoulders aimlessly.

"Can't do that mate, she might be a total bitch, but she's a bitch we need."

"Excuse me?" Lucy uttered coldly, glaring at the blue haired man who merely gazed over his shoulder at her. "Do you want to repeat that?" She ended with a long look as if daggers were shooting out of her eyes. It was actually enough to silently quell some of the younger Diclonius who definitely saw the woman as a powerful figure. She was after all the Queen of the Diclonius race. Apparently that didn't matter to Roy who gladly answered Lucy's own rhetorical question.

"You're a bitch Queen, a complete and whiny little bitch who's so bitchy that the amount of bitchness that comes from you would make small kittens cry."

Lucy looked absolutely livid and Bando, even if he didn't do anything, had his mood lightened up considerably. Still he wondered what was keeping him from just point blank tackling the woman right now and stomping his foot into her face. He did take on an entire group of clones single handedly and, to be quite honest, he wanted to see the look on the woman's face when he started avoiding her hands and then put his own fist straight into her unsuspecting noggin. He decided his change of demeanor was of course because of Mayu and Miriana. That didn't' stop the stream of death threats to issue from his mouth for a good 3 minutes until Lucy finally got fed up with it and turned abruptly around. Bando smirked, turning on the spot as the others too halted their walk. For most of them, they had looks of a crowd promised a great fight by the announcer. Of course in the past they'd have seen Bando as nothing more than a worthless obstacle, that idea of course did not stand now. Then again Lucy was the Queen, the supposed most power Diclonius ever would surely be no push over.

Roy himself merely sighed, sort of wishing that Bando could just rest for a bit. He was a good comrade but he seriously took things far too seriously especially when it came for revenge. He'd already proven he was more than a capable soldier and fighter; he'd just taken on an entire army of powerful clones with his damn hands. He didn't have to prove himself anymore now; they understood that he was an incredibly powerful human. But that wasn't the way Bando rolled, and memories of getting shot in the leg, arm ripped off, other arm snapped and eyes gouged out and mockery from the woman in front of him.

"Yo mate, as a friend let me just say you're taking this way too far." Roy finally spoke out, Bando looking at him darkly. "This doesn't concern you. I'm going to crush this bitch one way or another." His words were greeted by the same harsh look from The Sniper who responded back at him.

"I see, so you're just going to give yourself up to anger and revenge, just like I did before eh Bando? Fuck all reason right and just attack in a blind fit of rage just like I did and look where it got me." He waved it stumps slightly to make the point. "Look where it got you." He motioned to Bando's own mechanical hand and made a few blinks for him to get the other point. "You've not only taken on an entire army of Diclonius, strong ones too I might say and you won. You took on Julius Javel for god sakes! You've done things that I would've shit myself in the past for trying to do! You don't have to prove yourself, we know your skill and strength and none of us are denying it."

"…Tsk! So what! How can I live with myself knowing how she made a fool of me! I need to pay her back tenfold!" Bando growled heavily, Lucy only rolling her eyes exasperatedly.

"Bullshit!" Roy yelled, even catching the ex-SAT soldier by surprise. "Don't give me that load of crap! If I remember correctly you and your other men had been sent out against her with nearly no prior knowledge whatsoever of her abilities. You had been sent in blind and you still managed to survive, there's no reason to hold this grudge. Listen to me mate, even if she doesn't respect you, the rest of us do. There's no need to prove yourself to her, we already know what you can do and we damn well respect you for it. Besides, we do kind of need her alive for right now. Once we beat Kakuzawa then by all means kick her ass because I honestly don't like the woman either."

Lucy had finally got fed up and decided to speak. "This is some amusing talk coming from a man whose sorry ass I beat around the field and a blue haired armless fool. Then again it's not like you would understand the plight that I've been through. All the tortures, pain and misery that I had to through just to…"

"Everyone…!" Roy called out to the group who stood at attention. "Lucy's dog got hit by a rock and it was very sad. She cried and then shit happened and blah…blah…bah." The Queen pursed her lips together tightly and if looks could kill, oh there'd be more than just a little blood. "How dare you! The things I went through you'd never understand!"

"I suppose so my dear. I mean the only thing that happened to me was my wife was shot by my own boss, and then my son stated he hated me after he died from a disease, but yes, compare to you and your fucking dog getting beat by a bunch of a kids you certainly have more to complain about. Then again you were trapped in a cell for 7 freaking years so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt there. Here's a little quote you've might have heard before Lucy, it's quite common. Life's a bitch and then you die. Sometimes life can be bitchier than other times. Now you can whine, and bitch, and cry and regretting is certainly fine but you know what you can also do? You can get the fuck over it and keep going forward because if you haven't realize yet you idiot that you aren't the only one who's had a shitty life!

…Am I going too fast for you?"

The Queen seemed to be struck speechless while the other Diclonius just stood as silent as before. Roy finally turned around, motioning the others to keep walking while Bando shrugged his shoulders, glowering as always but apparently controlling his violet urges. The Queen didn't come though, she just stood there, still glaring at them and memories of everything painful crossing her poor mind. The Sniper sighed, looking back at her and the other's stopping as well. He sighed deeply speaking in a more contented tone.

"Listen up; we both know what happens when we let revenge take over us. I'm not saying that what has happened to you should be forgotten but what I am saying is that you need to walk forward and leave the past behind you. You are a monster only if you believe you are one. People can't decide your own fate only you can. If there's one thing I learned from my boss, other than fact that he was a wife murdering complete psychopath, was that we all have desires. All of us have some sort of desire that we seek and it's that desires that lets us move forward. What then are your desires Queen?"

…

"…I want to apologize to him."

Roy as well as the others gazed at her curiously. "I want to apologize to him for everything I did. It's the only reason I'm here right now, the only reason I even escaped from that dreadful place."

"Well then…" The blue haired man stated. "You should hold on to that desire because…"

"It's Nyu!"

"What the hell?" Roy uttered, looking at his group who merely shrugged their shoulders and looked at one another just as confused. It took them a moment to realize that three other people were running over to them, a young man with black hair, a young woman with brown hair and another young woman with pitched black hair. Lucy actually bowed her head low, the shadow crossing over her face and personally cursing at "coincidence" over and over again. Bando narrowed his eyes a bit, vaguely recognizing two of them as well as the annoying name they had mentioned. Most of the others just looked plainly confused and even more so when they all went to Lucy like she some sort of old friend.

"I can't believe we found you Nyu! Are you alright?" Yuka muttered, they hardly seemed concerned by the fact that a hundred other "Nyus and Nanas" were around them as they only had sights for Lucy who once again refused to raise her head.

"Yo kids what's up?" Roy finally called out catching their attention who at last realized how many people were around. "Th-They all have horns, just like Nyu. Wh-Who are you guys?" Nazomi asked curiously.

"That's what I should be asking. How do you guys know Lucy?"

"Lucy?" Kouta muttered, looking at the pink haired woman carefully. "This is Nyu."

More confusion and at last Roy took a long look at Lucy's down cast look and put two and two together. "Oh I see, this is who you want to apologize to don't you Queenie? " She didn't answer the other three were just as confused as before. "Nyu it's us, why don't you answer?" She still didn't answer, raise her head but only shook slightly. "Is Nyu crying?" Yuka asked gently.

"…I'm sorry…"

The three stepped back; this was the first time they had ever heard Nyu speak like this and Kouta noticed the rather strained way she said it too. She still kept her head low and only the sound of whimpering coming from her lips leaving the others startled. "Don't you remember Kouta? Don't you remember that time on the train, those many years ago?" She asked nervously tears streaming down her face, knowing she had to do this now. Roy on the other hand merely gave a quick look to the sky and muttered mostly to himself. "Oh so you're the one who was part of that whole train incident, terrorist attack my ass."

The young man only looked at Lucy with the same confused gaze as before. "N-Nyu? What are you…?"

"The day…at the festival…on the train. Don't you remember…I killed your sister and father!"

Kouta just starred for a very long time before realization hit him like a freight train. Horrible memories of blood and screams and cryptic words of "Hate!" Spoke to the face of a young girl who looked absolutely devastated. Suppressed memories that had been slowly but surely rising up and then exploding out like a bomb. Memories of Kanae and his father and the young girl he had played with as a child. All of that came up in the form of a loud scream, hands clutching his hair and the rather mood breaking scene of Roy's foot slamming straight into his head and knocking him to the ground in a daze.

"K-Kouta!" Yuka cried out, rushing over to the fallen boy as Lucy who at first was looking depressed and now was looking outright shocked and a little more than furious.

"Sorry mate, but I've been listening to a crack job scream at the top of his lungs for about 45 minutes and needless to say it got annoying quickly." Roy uttered, lightly kicking his foot back and forth as Yuka and Nazomi helped pick up the extremely dazed young man. "That was horrible! You could've seriously hurt him!" Yuka cried out, only getting a soft chuckle from Roy who responded. "Oh trust me miss if I wanted to seriously hurt him I could do so. Now I mean I'm sure I just ruined the mood but we're kind of in a hurry so I'm personally going to give the abridged version here to you boy.

She killed your family, wants to apologize and…fuck it we need to go." And with those clearly heart felt words, Roy and Bando walked off as the other Diclonius with rather questionable looks followed shortly after and in one of the most obscene ways possible, three new people have joined them. However most of them know that despite the comical way this situation has come across, especially for something so stern like murder, things were still serious and in truth, Roy didn't want to waste too much time on matters that didn't concern them. Still it was almost like he was personally trying not to get an emotional scene out of it, that or he was truly not in the mood to hear another sob story.

While Kouta stood transfixed at the thought of a very close person murdering his family, that or he was so confused by Roy's interruption and half assed explanations that reality hadn't caught up to him yet, Nazomi spoke to the blue haired man.

"Who are you?" She wanted to ask a lot more than that of course. An amazing number of questions needed to be answered but for now, that was the first one that escaped her lips.

"The name's Roy Synth young Sheila…"

"My name is Nazomi not Sheila."

Roy sighed deeply again in disappointment.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Finally got the chapter and you can tell that with all the murder, death, pain and misery I really wanted to lighten the mood a little bit here because we'll be getting back to horrific misery soon enough. This is also has the first introduction of our main manga characters Kouta and Nazomi and Yuka's secondary appearance since that one chapter in Arc I that you all neither remember nor I'm sure care about. The beginning of the final Arc has started, what will happen next time on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p>

R&R


	77. Problematic Causes To Worry

**Chapter 76: Problematic Causes To Worry  
><strong>

"How could you kill my sister and father!"

Roy moaned into his metaphorical hand, rolling his eyes and muttering. "There still going at it, still I guess you got to get priorities straightened out somehow. Still it makes me wonder." He called out to Yuka who nervously along with Nazomi walked over to him and definitely still under the intense pressure of the situation that had seriously no idea about. Who were these people? What were they doing? How did life become so messed up? This was of course only the tip of the iceberg. "What's your name?" He first asked Yuka, feeling the need to at least be somewhat curious more or less not feeling like calling her "Girl A."

"I'm…Yuka." She answered rather hesitantly, noticing his armless figure and wondering what sort of horrific accident he had gotten into. The answer to that was better left unsaid in her case anyways. Roy eyed her for a quite a while as they trekked along and Yuka soon started to get an uneasy feeling in her stomach. "Wh-What's wrong with me?" She finally managed to ask as Roy turned around and shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"Oh nothing, it's just that you make me think of a person who is incredibly nice, helpful and willing to support your friends and family at any moment necessary. But unfortunately because of the sole reason that you exist people would hate you and want you to die. Sucks to be you." Roy answered which at that point Yuka decided that the best course of action was to stay as far away from this strange hair colored man as possible. Roy did have another more important question to ask though. "How do you guys know Lucy over there anyways? From what I can gander you've seemed to have known her for quite some time."

Yuka glanced at the pink haired woman, unsure of her anymore but quite frankly unsure about anything in general. "Are you talking about Nyu? Kouta and I found her washed up on the beach in Kamakura. She didn't have anything on, was covered in blood and the only thing she could say was 'Nyu.' That woman over there is nothing like the Nyu that lived with us." Roy thought for a moment, and then said to the young brown haired woman. "Congratulations then, you've had a psychopathic murderer in your house all this time."

"Nyu's not a killer!" Nazomi cried out.

"Speak for yourself." Roy answered nonchalantly. "Though I believe your friend over there…" He pointed to Kouta. "…Thinks a little bit differently on that matter." Sure enough on that point Kouta and Lucy were getting into a heated argument, if one could even call it that. Kouta himself seemed intent on just ignoring the pink haired woman much less point blank smacking her. Lucy on the other hand apparently mumbled apologies again and again in a low tone then decided that she was just making it worse for herself and stepped back looking crestfallen. Still what exactly could she say to him? In fact how could she even think of expecting a simple apology could make up for the horrors she had done in his life?

"What happened to Nyu?" He asked it both curiously and in a sense stated as a threat as if wondering what that family murdering horned girl had done to the sweet and innocent girl he had known. Lucy on her part gazed back down on the ground and spoke in a soft and broken whisper. "The girl you knew as Nyu, I believe she was the ideal self that I unconsciously created so that I could get rid of all the bad things that happened in my life."

A question suddenly popped up into Yuka's head, one that was rather important. "Excuse me…" She uttered in her soft tone to Roy who gave a small grunt to signify that he was listening though clearly hardly caring at the moment. "What does that man want with Nyu? What's going on in the world, you obviously know something about it." The Sniper, still walking forward clicked his tongue then said. "We call them Diclonius, all of these horned girls, all of them are Diclonius. There are three distinctive things that make them different from humans. The first you can probably guess already." He motioned towards his head. "The other two are a little more difficult to understand. Can one of you come here?" Calling out to a random Diclonius, a young 14 year old girl walked up.

"Do something with your vectors."

Yuka and Nazomi watched with wide eyes as a small rock was, to them, floating right in front of their heads without any support whatsoever. The young Diclonius casually flipped it through the air casually, looking a little proud and somewhat arrogant. She continued to play around with it, enjoying showing the two humans something strange and unique until Roy cued her to stop. Nazomi herself didn't say a word; she merely stood there with her mouth wide open. Yuka on the other hand, while just as morbidly surprised as her friend had enough sense to at least make words. "Wh-What was that?" Instead of answering, Roy let the young girl who had done the act explain for them, or at least give a short summary. "I used my vectors!" She squealed happily.

"Vectors?" Yuka muttered, certainly not getting it. "What are those? I didn't see anything."

"Oh humans can't see them, but they're like…" She put on her thinking cap, even for Diclonius, trying to describe vectors was hard especially to those who didn't have a clue about them. "Well for us, they're like really long hands. Some of us have longer ones and more of them than others but that's the best way I can explain it. They're really strong too and they can do all sorts of things like make us fly and even go through objects like ghosts." She answered with a small smile on her face, kicking up a small bit of wind that made the two humans flinch. She laughed merrily, enjoying the little act and the things she could do with her hands.

"Sir, you said you there was a third thing?" Nazomi finally managed to ask.

Roy nodded once, his face turning oddly serious for someone who had been speaking to them in a most casual tone. "Indeed there is, Diclonius have a rather…disturbing quality…of being rather mentally unsound." The young Diclonius girl didn't retort but her face did take a downcast look before she started playing with her fingers like a child who had done a misdeed. Roy continued to talk to the two human girls, explaining things in the best but shortest way possible. "All Diclonius are mentally born to kill humanity…" He paused to let the usual gasps come and go before continuing. "…That's true; all of them are born with the innate desire to kill humans. We believe it stems from a biological aspect of their nature. This however does not mean that the killer instinct can't be calmed or subverted; it's just that you should know this especially with her."

"You mean…Nyu?" Yuka inquired hesitantly.

"Call her whatever you want Sheila, but that girl over there is hardly an innocent little bystander. She's killed dozen maybe even hundreds of people, sometimes out of pure spite." He said solemnly stopping along with the others when Lucy suddenly screamed and dropped to her knees in a heartbroken soul, falling over Kouta's feet and crying to the ground. "May I break her neck now?" Bando asked harshly, scaring Nazomi. Roy didn't answer but glared over at the young woman while muttering softly. "I don't know the history she had with him but right now she needs to figure out something. Speaking of which, do you two have any professional knowledge on weaponry systems?"

Both girls gave a simultaneous "Huh?" as well as a simultaneous blank expression.

"Oh you haven't realized yet. You see we're off to one of the closer cities around here to gather up everyone to take that insane bastard Kakuzawa out. So you'll understand that unless you fight with us to kill, you are of absolutely no use here." Roy answered in the same typical tone of speech as before. "W-Wait a second!" Yuka cried out. "You mean you're going to murder? How can…?"

"Allow me to explain that before you bitch too much. I'm sure you've already seen him on the television, the man calling himself Kakuzawa. You also probably know that he's been looking for Lu-ahem, Nyu over there. I'll explain a bit of that too. The vast majority of Diclonius are all Sipilets; this means that they are unable to reproduce. Lucy…sorry…Nyu over there is the only known Queen Diclonius in existence. She is the only one capable of birthing more Diclonius children."

"But then, now are there so many of them here?" Nazomi asked, starring at the wide array of pink haired girls of different ages. The Sniper glanced over at them and moaned internally. "I guess I have no choice but to explain that as well. I wanted to go with the easy stuff here. While Sipilets are unable to reproduce, by touching a human male with their vectors, they spread their DNA into their body. Any child of that male will be 100% Diclonius. If I myself ever had another child, it too would be a Diclonius."

Nazomi curiously asked. "You've been touched by them?" Roy actually chuckled, waving his armless stumps. "This didn't happen to me because of a random machinery accident Sheila. Diclonius vectors as you've heard are incredibly powerful. I'll admit though I was trying to murder the girl who did this to me, I was kind of pissed off at the time. Oi Bando!" He called out to the burly soldier who gave a gruff response. "Do you mind taking the other Diclonius and heading off, I'll catch up in a little bit."

"Yeah whatever, come on ya brats!"

"Yes Mr. Mctuffles!"

"I will tear out the tongue of whoever said that!"

"…"

While Bando and the other Diclonius continued their journey, Roy decided that it was best to lay things down to order. "If you haven't guessed already, we're in a big load of shit right now. Kakuazawa, along with having gone completely insane, has equipped a powerful vector shield around himself. What we've been attempted to do is to gather people to assault Kakuzawa and hopefully get enough firepower to break that shield. This isn't something that the two of you or that boy can do anything about right now. Please find a safe place and pray for the best." He had dropped any sort of sarcasm and the two girls understood that the man was finally being dead serious this time. Which was why Roy of course groaned with displeasure when the adamantly refused.

"We can't just leave Nyu after finding her. I don't know this whole murder thing but Nyu's always been a part of our family." Yuka exclaimed. "Besides, we need to find Mayu and Nana as well. Sometime horrible happened to our house, Maple Inn. We found bodies, torn up and Nyu was gone too." Roy didn't bother explaining how Lucy was probably responsible for that ordeal, at some point they'd have to figure it out themselves. He nevertheless let the browned hair woman continue to speak. "We were living at my mother's place and we let Mayu and Nana stay there, there were strange people there and we didn't want to get in the way in case something bad happened."

"I see, this Nana person your speaking of, do you mean Number 7?"

"N-No, but she did have horns just like Nyu there, was she…?" Roy nodded his head. "Number 7, or Nana as you call her, is indeed alright. She's actually with another group doing the same thing we are. As far as this Mayu person is concerned, the name rings a bell that Bando told me some time ago, is alright as well. She's safe with a good friend of ours and shouldn't be in any danger."

Both girls gave sighs of relief.

"Also yes, Nana as you call her was also a Diclonius. An interesting case if I remember." Roy mused with his head tilted to the side. "She was the only one who never got violent with staff members."

"Staff members?" Nazomi asked softly.

"Why should I tell you, why don't you just ask your pink haired friend over there."

Lucy, on her knees and her head to the floor moaned a single phrase again and again. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She repeated again and again and again, only stopping to take in a raged breath. Kouta starred away, his face set into what seemed like a perpetual scowl before uttering coldly. "I…can never forgive you for murdering Kanae or my father."

Lucy's head fell back down again, her eyes rising like some sort of puppy who had done wrong. Therefore she was quite surprised by the hand reaching out towards her face. Kouta's face was still set in a darkened scowl so she of course wondering why he was reaching out to her. "Kouta?" She mumbled nervously, not sure why he was reaching out towards her. "…I don't understand, are you forgiving me?"

"Of course not!" He literally roared the words at her, making her flinch. "I can never forgive you for what you did to my family; I even want to kill you. But I don't think I could live with myself if I told some I hated them and their horrified face was the last thing I ever saw. Nyu is still apart of you and she was part of our family. Therefore, even though I can't forgive you, you are still part of our family." She can't believe he's saying that, despite everything she's done he's still willing to, in a broad sense of the word, accept her. This was her family, her only family, the people who took care of her in the time she needed it most. The young man didn't say another word, he merely helped the young woman up and saw the others coming towards them.

"Nyu!"

Despite not being her true name, just the same as Lucy wasn't her true name, the Queen nevertheless answered to it anyways. Probably because it was the name that signified innocence, something she desperately needed. In just a few short minutes, Lucy explained the story of her past to them.

* * *

><p>Caren along with her group which included Nana was the first to arrive at their destination. Unfortunately for them, unlike Osaka, the people of the city did not take kindly to a hundred "horned demons" waltzing up into the city, if the shroud of rifles, guns and broomsticks in their direction was any indication. Like an angry mob they surrounded the girls, tightening them into a ball though by no means a threat to them. Then again they weren't here to start a fight and Caren did her best to explain things. "We're not going to hurt you."<p>

A loud snort irked her but she continued.

"I'm serious; we really need help right now. You know that man, Kakuzawa who's causing all of this trouble? We're trying to stop him, we want both Diclonius and humans to live together!" But a middle aged man brandishing a shot gun yelled back. "Like hell you are! You're going to kill us all like the monsters you are!" Caren struggled to remain composed, her biological want to murder humans getting the better of her but she knew she had to control herself. She needed to get their trust somehow without making them feel uncomfortable. "What about this, what if the rest of us left and just talk to me personally?"

The man thought for a moment, looking at the others and then nodding his head curtly. "Fine then, though I still don't trust you. We'll talk to you, the rest of your kind needs to back off!" Caren agreed, motioning for the others to turn back and wait outside the city until she called them back. With that done, she was left alone, putting her hands behind her back and making no threatening movements whatsoever. She knew that the humans would feel much more comfortable in a situation like this when they believed they held an advantage. She had been told that the people Osaka hadn't taken kindly to them either but they eventually came to accept them as well.

"Alright now, are we all cool?" Caren asked sternly, she was in a bit of rush. "We need to stop Kakuzawa but unfortunately we don't have enough firepower to break this stupid dome around him. We need your help, the more we have, the better!"

"Tsk! What a load of bullshit!"

The young Diclonius gaped at them, unbelieving of how stupid they were being. "This is true, we need your help! We actually want to live together with you guys! Stop being so…paranoid and help us! At least do it for yourself I'm sure you all don't want to die!" Yet their bursts of angry retorts filed her ears. "Like we should ever believe what you say demon! You'll just get us all together and murder us!" Caren nearly lost it, she stepped forward, brandishing her vector and slashing the ground harshly, making most of them step back in fear while they raised their weapons. "Are you seriously that daft? You humans are the most idiotic bunch of things I've ever seen in my life, no wonder we want to kill you all! We're trying to help you all, ignoring all the pain your kind has done to us, and we're trying to help you!" She screamed at them, raising her fists and glaring with intense anger at all of them. "If we wanted to kill you all so badly we'd have just done it right now, I went out of my way to send them all back, to make you feel more comfortable! Hopeless bunch, that's what you all are, a hopeless bunch! Well here's something you all can think about!

…My sister was a human, a pure blooded, human! No horns! No vectors! Just a plain human and she's dead now! I loved her from the bottom of my heart! But hey, who cares right? Who cares if you can do something about it right? Forget it!" She turned abruptly around, both pissed off and in truth not wanting anyone to see the small set of tears streaming down her face. "Who cares right? Go and get yourselves killed! Go and let Kakuzawa win and let him murder you all! See if I care about it!" She couldn't take it anymore, she couldn't handle trying to appease them anymore! In fact if she stood there anymore she'd have seriously given into her instincts and murdered them all for their pure stupidity.

The other Diclonius watched her come out of the city, noticing her wicked gaze. From looks alone they could tell that negotiations did not go very well. "C-Caren?" one of them muttered softly, holding her hands together. "It's Carentorzulan…and no it didn't go well at all." She growled viciously, slashing at the ground with her vector and holding her hand to her head. "How can they be so stupid? I mean yeah I can understand how they might be afraid but still, this is a live or death matter. Come on girls, let's get out of here." As they turned to move away, a loud voice echoed from behind.

"Wait!"

Caren stopped, seeing a young man running over to them, sweating from both the sprint and more than likely fear and then then stopping quite a few meters away to yell back at them. "Y-You! The one that was here a moment ago, can you p-please come back for a moment?" The Diclonius looked at their leader who starred with a bit incredulously at him. She sighed, took in a deep breath to calm herself down, and then followed him, leaving the girls alone again. They could only wait for her return and hopefully this time it would be for the better.

In the meantime the group stood alone, having small talk with one another as Nana decided she too wanted to be part of the group. For her though, not many people wanted to talk to her. Nana was to Diclonius what Diclonius were too most humans, just…wrong. She didn't have that killer instinct, she didn't have that proud Diclonius mind they all had. She was just, to put it in the best words, too nice. She was so nice and innocent, like she truly believed that everything was good in the world and they also knew that she had a rather special connection with Chief Kurama, that had never been knew to the Diclonius living in Kakuzawa's facility.

Looking crestfallen, Nana tried to defend herself. "I don't want to be your enemy; I just want to make friends, like Papa told me!" Nana piped in.

"Tsk! Who cares what your stupid Papa had to say." One girl hissed. The next thing she knew, something hard had smacked her straight into the face, something that looked oddly like a flying fist which sent her hurtling through the air much to everyone's amazement. Landing roughly on the dirty ground, the young girl felt herself being lifted up and then brought face to face with Nana who looked a little bit more than completely miffed.

"You like talking about Papa like that huh? You think it's fun talking about Papa like that? All Nana wanted was to make friends! If you ever talk about Papa like that again, I'll rip out your spine!" Before throwing the girl back to the ground, picking up her prosthetic arm and walking off. Everyone just stood dumbfounded at what they had seen. Just in time too as Caren returned to them, displaying a much more content face but now looking quite confused at everyone who apparently were trying to keep as much distance away from Nana as possible.

"Is something wrong?" She asked Number 7 who smiled innocently. "Nope! It's all fine, we were just having a little chat."

Caren gazed over at the other Diclonius, some of which were shaking heavily and others were actually holding each other. "I'm scared…"

"…Alright…anyways I've good news and bad news. The good news is some of them actually are going to help us. The bad news is, not all of them but I didn't want to make things any more difficult." Sure enough over the horizon a group of people were walking up towards, them, their guns brandishing in the palms. "They're still worried so don't do anything hasty…also why are you all standing so far away from Number 7?" The only answer she received was shivering from most of them while Nana merely looked away as innocently as before. The human group consisting of about 50 people finally came up to them but definitely kept their distance from them.

The humans were definitely worried right now; even as they had agreed to come they couldn't help but remember what had happened to Kamakura and how only one of these girls had managed to do all that destruction. Which would make it difficult to explain what Caren had in mind. "Listen up and…" She had to think of the best way to explain this next part. "…Well…you see we were told that once we got you guys and thanks for helping serious!" She instantly went to praise because she knew that what she was about to say next wouldn't go well with any of them. "…But we were told to head over to a certain place and for us Diclonius, we can get their pretty fast. It's just that you humans…well…you can't exactly…do this."

The humans, half amazed and half scared out of their minds saw Care lift herself up into the air, floating casually with the wind blowing her hair and new Clock Stopper around. "So if you can understand to help us cover a lot more distance…we're…going to need to use our vectors to lift you into the air and personally carry all of you."

…

"ARE YOU INSANE DEMON! THERE'S NO WAY ANY OF US WILL LET YOU USE THOSE…WHATEVER THEY ARE!"

She put her finger comically into her ear. "Ouch. It's not like we want to do it either, but it's the only way we can…eh you know what…here." There was no time to be dealing with humans and their stupid tenacities. Why she didn't think of this earlier was beyond her but there was a reason her Clock Stopper was so useful.

* * *

><p>Although she too was a Diclonius with even more of her species, Victoria actually managed to get the mob of Diclonius fearing humans to come with them a lot easier than Caren had. Probably because when they first refused she had taken Garder's command literally to heart and told them. "That's fine then, all of you, go and kill them." Leaving them screaming in terror while she smiled girlishly, quickly stopping them before talking to the ragged bunch of horrified humans. "I really don't want to hurt any of you but we need help and considering that if you don't you'll just die anyways so I mean, what's the problem? Don't take it too badly, I mean I'm not trying to force you against your will I'm just…forcing you against your will!" And she batted her eyes innocently.<p>

The young female Diclonius did however feel that incredibly powerful but also distant Diclonius energy had disappeared. The same could be said for all of the Diclonius and yet it was also something that was on many of their minds.

Whereas Caren has to use her watch, Victoria only had to use threats to force the humans to submit to her and while many of them shook with absolute terror as they were lifted up into the sky, the young woman hoped they wouldn't go into post-traumatic stress when they finally got back to Julius. Which by merely thinking of her lover was enough to make her smile, a smile that was soon interrupted by a loud explosion somewhere in the distance.

* * *

><p>Garder kept his balance while in the room of one of the official Japanese military bases, something that couldn't be said for most of the men who stumbled on their feet, many landing right on their behinds. "What the hell was that?" And older warmonger groaned, picking himself up and straightening his hat. "Garder what was that?"<p>

"How should I know." The old director growled. "I'm going to contact Julius, give me a moment." Garder had arrived some time ago to explain how things were going. As he had intended, they were much more willing to listen to a man with military background than some random person and in truth it didn't take long for them to agree with him. As he had also thought though, they didn't have near the amount of military power that they had prior to the Mariko incident but at least their love of life hadn't clouded their judgment. With the military force behind him, Garder would be to bring the most powerful offensive to the battle with Kakuzawa which was going to be well needed with information that Julius would present to him eventually.

"This is Julius sir." The male Diclonius muttered over the radio. "I felt it too sir, I'll check it out right now."

"Good, contact me once you find out what's going." Garder uttered. He returned back to the men at the table, cups poured all over as he stood before the main general at the very front. "Julius, my second in command, is going to see what may have caused this. Now back to our conversation, I can once again guarantee your help?"

The elderly and bald general nodded slowly. "Yes, for the sake of humanity, to kill that crazy bastard Kakuzawa, we would be fools not to try. I just feel uneasy about those…things." His uneasy thoughts were shared by the rest of the men at the table. "There is no need to worry about the Diclonius, once this mess is over I will personally see that they are returned back to the facilities and I will personally take lead of it as well. Unlike Kakuzawa I have no intention of getting rid of the human race." The general of the military raised a finger at him. "I believe you on that but how do you know they will not turn against us during the fight? We've all seen what those girls are capable of, I don't want to send my men out there just to get backstabbed by some freak with horns!"

"Your distrust is understandable but believe me when I say, none of them will be betraying us. I've worked with these girls for quite some time so believe me when I say that I know what I'm talking about."

"…Ah. Very well then Morotisan, I do trust you though it still doesn't make me feel any better. But I guess if it means getting rid of the crazy megalomaniac than I'll do anything. You'll have to give us time to prepare though; this was rather unexpected though I must also thank you for clearing our minds. If you hadn't come, we'd probably just sit up here in this room and merely hope for the best."

Garder nodded curtly, picking his radio up as Julius came up. He listened intently and as the seconds passed, so did his dark demeanor. "Are you sure about that Julius Javel? Alright then I trust you, no more time to waste, head over there no with your Diclonius and the armada, the others should still be able to sense you anyways so they'll be able to come back to you. Do your best to keep it from increasing anymore if possible. Over and out."

"What is it Morotisan? What's going on?"

Garder put his radio away, the said forebodingly. "It would seem we have now come under a…global threat. Julius has must informed me that Kakuzawa's shield, created as I told you by a pseudo vector machine has started to go out of control. Kakuzawa could no longer turn it off when we fought him and now the entropy of the machine has reached critical mass."

"What the hell does that mean!"

"…It means General…that in one hour we are going to have the most catastrophic meltdown in history, nothing will survive."

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: No rush guys. Things have certainly turned for the worse as not only can Kakuzawa not shut up, he can't even control his own machine anymore and unless they can finally break that shield, everyone's going to die. So what will happen next time on "Pinpoint Lifeline?"<p> 


	78. Last Hour Of Visions

**Chapter 77: Last Hour Of Visions**

How had it come to this? How could he, God, be driven into such a position as this? Kakuzawa groaned his body perfectly fine but his shield, his power, his trueness to omnipotence was not. He could no longer control the massive influx of entropy the came out of the machine. He could move his vectors just fine, he could walk just fine, in truth he could do anything he wanted, except control the ever increase energy of his shield. The dome itself had only increased a few meters in diameter but the energy that it was releasing was so powerful that the earth around him crumbled and eventually ceased to exist.

"Kah! Stop it! Stop it!"

But of course words were nothing; it would not stop the terrible miscalculation that Kakuzawa had not foreseen because he was too blinded by pride and power. During the past, he truly would've paid better attention to details. Though he had wanted vectors, he would not have stormed into the idea of the machine as instantly as he did before without making extra precautions. Right now, he had lost control, feeling the upmost turmoil of his machine clenching to his flesh as the dome cackled madly. It was starting to get hot, way too hot, the dome which had once been invisible to the naked eye had started to attain a very visible and unnerving magma red color, thin lines of orange running around it like fiery veins.

"It won't stop…" For the first time since using the machine, Kakuzawa finally starting to realize his humanity. For the first time, the Head Director was starting to think that he wasn't as omnipotent as he first thought. Truly as God when he said stop, it would stop, it had not stop, and so what did that mean? If he was God than there was nothing above him or equal to him so by definition he is always right. It has not stopped, which can only mean one thing. He is not perfect. He doesn't pay much focus to the idea at first, of course he even goes as far as trying to desperately claim he is dreaming but that was not the case.

The cackling of the dome echoes into the sky, burning the fields under its intense pressure. At one point he could hear the distinctive sound of a jet engine above him; he had seen the black jet before, flown by that traitorous male Diclonius Julius Javel. He didn't stay for long, clearly only coming to check up on the situation. Unclear hate filled Kakuzawa's twisted mind, his vector lashing into the sky though by no means coming anywhere close to reaching the jet. He was just so angry now and his fury he decided that it was because of these bastards that this was happening to him. If they didn't exist, his dome would not be going out of control and if they didn't exist he would truly be God.

* * *

><p>"Shit!" Roy fell flat on his back, the ground rumbling from the sudden burst of chaotic energy dealt by Kakuzawa's uncontrollable dome. Groaning loudly he quickly kicked himself back up, before yelling at the group of horned girls. "What in the world was that!" For the Diclonius they couldn't answer the cause although the answer would be given in at least an hour whether they expected it or not. What they did know was that Julius and his Diclonius had made a sudden movement to a new location.<p>

"I don't know…" One young girl piped out in a bell like voice. "…But the Diclonius that I think were with…Julius…have suddenly moved to somewhere else. Should we go over there?"

Bando answered instead. "You brats should go and see what's up, besides we…" He motioned to Roy and himself. "…Can head to the city alone. You all would just scare the people away anyways." Roy nodded at this declaration but had something to add in as well. "Sounds good, but keep at least 20 of the girls with us, they're the only way the others can even find us in the first place. I have a feeling Julius will try to catch us anyways." The others agreed as well and the majority of Roy's group set off to the direction of where the others were forming together, leaving Roy, Bando, Lucy and her makeshift family along with a few other Diclonius to continue walking towards the city.

"What's going on?" Yuka asked.

"How the hell should I know?" Roy groaned. "However this is a good time for you all to leave."

Yuka, Nazomi and Kouta starred incredulously at the man before the young boy blurted out. "No way! We're going to help Nyu no matter what!" He and the others had listened to the Queen's story, of her past, of all the tortures she had been through, all of it. For Kouta it was a heart wrenching story and yet he could not find it in himself to forgive the woman who murdered his sister and father. She could apologize a million times over and he still wouldn't be able to find it in his heart to forgive her. However while he may have held nothing but contempt for the woman known as Lucy, the same could not be said for the innocent soul known as Nyu. Not just him but everyone from Maple Inn wanted Nyu to come back and therefore, even though he hated Lucy, he loved Nyu like any other member of his family.

"This isn't the time to be stupid, none of you have any sort of powers or abilities that could be of any help. The least you all are moral support, the most you all are a liability, go now, find somewhere safe and hope for the best." Roy growled, easily disliking where things were going. "This is not a place for girls and boys who have no way of defending themselves."

"I don't care." Kouta said sternly. "I'm helping Nyu." Lucy noticed the way he said the name, the sternness in it that clearly said he was helping her innocent personality, not the cold blooded killer that was currently standing before him. Nonetheless, it made her feel better hearing such kindness, even if it was for another person technically. However she also agreed with Roy, what would she do if Kouta got killed during the fight? There was no way she could ever live with herself if that happened. "He's right, all of you need to get somewhere safe!"

"We can't do that! We're family!" Nazomi squealed, earning a great moan from Roy. "All of you are idiots! This isn't a matter of family, you all could die! We need people who can do something, not a bunch of kids who got too far deep in this unnecessary shit!" His rant ended when he heard the rumbling of the engine, gazing up to see the black jet soaring over the horizon. "Finally, I hope Julius can explain what the hell is going on right now."

Landing, the male Diclonius hopped out of the cockpit, walking quickly towards the group with his face set into a serious stare. "Yo Two Cent, mind explaining what the hell is going on here?" Roy grumbled loudly, casually letting one of his bullets hover around his head. The Diclonius didn't answer the question at first but looked around. "I'll have to be quick here. Kakuzawa has lost control of his shield, in about 45 minutes from now, it's going to go into a global meltdown." The etches of surprises on their faces was hardly shocking but it didn't lead to more questions being asked, this time by Bando. "Meltdown? What the fuck does that mean?"

"The entropy in Kakuzawa's shield has gone out of control, once it reaches a certain level, the entire thing will cause an external meltdown on a global scale. However if the dome itself can be broken, it'll stop the meltdown." Julius ended, leaving all the others looking mortified. Roy bowed his head, speaking darkly to himself but definitely loud enough for everyone to hear. "That bastard's going to kill us all. But this means we still need more firepower."

"Aye…" The male Diclonius uttered coldly. "I sensed a large group of Diclonius leaving when I came here."

Roy nodded. "That's right, we didn't know what was going on so we thought it would be best to send them out. Now that we know that Kakuzawa is going to royally fuck us all up…" He turned to the 20 other Diclonius and gave a quick turn of his head, motioning for them to go to their kin who were currently fighting Kakuzawa. He didn't even have to speak to them, they knew perfectly what had to be done. "Well then Julius unless you have more important things to tell us, we're going to get some help…as quickly as we can." Roy said, adding the last statement with haste to illustrate the point. Julius agreed silently and went back to his jet, soaring into the sky and heading over to Victoria who was the second closest.

* * *

><p>"Julius?" Victoria didn't have to look up to recognize that ever familiar sound of jet engine. That was the sound she would, for the strangest of reasons no doubt, compare to love. But she was also wise enough not to let too much emotion show as Julius would have only shown up for a good reason.<p>

Julius swung down, sighing slightly in relief as he saw a massive group of people with her and the other Diclonius, all holding guns of some sort, ranging from weak, to moderately powerful. He wasn't sure how well it would do, but something was definitely better than nothing. As he jumped out of his jet again, landing lithely on his feet, Victoria made sure to hold herself collectively. The memory of a certain thing popping into her mind, yet it too vanished almost completely when she saw just how dire Julius' expression was. While he was always serious, always holding that stoic expression that she admired so much, she could tell that this time was different. Things weren't just serious now, things were deadly serious and she had a good feeling it had to do with that loud explosion they had heard earlier. Sure enough such was the case as The Zero Point gave the bad news.

"That…bastard…" She whispered mortified. "I understand Javel, I'll have my group and the other humans get over there right now. Please be careful." And she reached up and lightly pecked him on his left cheek, something he took with a grain of a salt as she knew he would, but she smiled nonetheless. With his group fighting Kakuzawa, Roy's group heading over while he got back up and Garder's Diclonius also at Kakuzawa's area, that just left Caren.

* * *

><p>"Morotisan! Isn't there anyway we could get outside help with this?"<p>

Garder gazed over at the General, shaking his head solemnly as he got himself prepared, overlooking the military base as everyone got ready, sirens blaring loudly. At this point, some sort of news broadcast would've been going on in the world, of how doomsday would soon be arriving. For this very reason, Garder had asked that they not discuss what was going on right now. People were scared right now, if they failed, why not just let the people live in a little bit of peace for the next hour.

"If the closest country to us were to set out with their military, it would be impossible for them to reach us in time. This is now or never General, we either win or die."

"Tsk…and to think we have to work with those freaks…"

"Diclonius."

The General starred at him.

"They have a name, Diclonius and while certainly aggravating they are hardly what could be qualified as freaks. Besides, they may actually be the ones to save us."

"I can't believe your even saying that, you saw what that one did to Kamakura! These things are dangerous…" He stopped, even though he was blind, his eyes a milky white and his slit eyes barely visible now, he could still glare at people and this time there was a certain ferocity that even quelled the fury that the General was feeling. "Do not question me General, I know exactly what was going on here. Do not forget that the girl, who destroyed Kamakura and killed thousands of lives, was ultimately killed by me. I do not like Diclonius, though there are some…that have earned my respect.

…Are all of you ready!" He finally called out.

"We need another 3 minutes to get everything prepared." A young soldier cried.

* * *

><p>Soaring through the sky on wings invisible to the human eye, Elrya narrowed her eyes suspiciously when she heard the explosion off in the distance. Whatever was going on had to be bad for her to hear it from her location. "What do you think happened?" Alya asked mentally.<p>

"…No idea but all guesses point to the dick known as Kakuzawa."

"Tsk, I agree with you there Elrya. This is absolutely amazing!" Alya couldn't help but feel a sense of blissful awe as they soared like a bird through the cloudless sky. Her vectors forming together like angelic wings, allowing them to fly high into the blue yonder. How on Earth they never learned to do this earlier was beyond her but it was definitely enough to put a mental smile on her face. However she noticed that Elrya, while definitely enjoying the feeling, was also thinking of something else. So as any good friend and sister, she asked what was wrong.

"…I miss Yin…" Elrya though heavily.

"…I know, I miss him a lot too you know. I miss him so much and not a moment goes by that I don't think about him. But that's why we have to go on, not just for us but for him as well. He'll never leave our hearts, no matter what happens and…LOOK OUT!" Elrya didn't have time to respond and Alya didn't give her any in the first place. Without warning Alya instantly took control, forcing Elrya back into the recesses of their mind, giving her a massive headache in the process and used her wing-like vectors to swerve left. Something struck her vectors, hard and powerful that tore through them like a knife through butter. Whatever had hit her wasn't a normal bullet, if it had struck her body she would've been blown to pieces.

With her flight lost, Alya shrieked as she crashed into the roaring ocean, spluttering and gasping as the second problem arose. Elrya Alya was unable to do two things. One was reading, the other was swimming and at the moment, things were looking severely bad for her. She coughed, the waves overlapping her head and submerging her in deeper. Vectors were not as adaptable in the water as they were on dry land and air and with inability to actually swim in the first place, she only made things worse for her. Above her, through the roaring ocean she heard the muffled sounds of engines and one thing managed to cross her mind as she drowned.

"I was shot! Bastards!"

Sure enough a group of military jets from, who knows where, decided to launch an offense against what could only be described to them as a UFO. The soared through the skies, looking down at the choppy waters for any sign of the girl.

Alya desperately tried to reach up for more air, gasping in every small amount of air that was lucky enough to reach her. She couldn't get her vectors to work properly in such an environment and now her body was being to go into exhaustion. "Ah! Gah! Alya!" She quickly thought to her mental sister. "I can't keep this up…!" Alya's words were drowned out by both the mental screams of Elrya and the physical attribute of the body being submerged completely. She sunk into the deep blankness, the smell and taste of thick salt wafting through her nostrils. Only a few seconds of air was left in the poor Diclonius' lungs and action had to be taken immediately.

"Can't…breathe…" Alya thought heavily, blackness threatening to overwhelm her thoughts.

"Elrya…let's reach out with our vectors…try to grab onto one of those jets!" It was a thought made on the spot, with no premises that it would work. It was pure desperation to survive and Alya even with her mind fading away, understood. If the jets were still above them, and by god please let them be, neither one of them would be able to reach them separately but as before with the fight with Vladimir, combining their minds had proved more than effective.

A single vector shot out of the water, blinding waving around the sky in the hopes that it would touch something. Through sheer luck the finger tips struck metal and wasting a single second, she gripped her ghostly finger. The good news was that she now had a firm grip on one of the jets, the bad news was that she had absolutely no control over it and when something was flying across the sky at 500 miles per hour, it did not bode well for the body. This meant that the Diclonius was forcibly dragged across the ocean like a rag doll, sliding painfully through the choppy waves.

"Gah! Guh! Ah!" And at such speed, the pain was almost unbearable. She could hardly believe that she was in this situation, wasn't this kind of crap supposed to have stopped after she beat Vladimir, it almost felt like a joke. "Ah! Guah! Rise you…gah…son of a bitch!" Her anger mounted while her body suffered through sheer force, ultimately deciding to take another road of action. Streams of invisible vectors swooped out, grasping the jet before with one loud roar she pulled it down. At her level of strength it was easy and while she had not intended to kill any of them, they had attacked her in the first place and she had acted in self-defense. The machine crashed loudly into the ocean, spraying a 30 foot wave into the sky and finally giving Elrya Alya a place to firmly set her feet on, in this case, the edge of the right wing.

She heard the jets coming back and she glared rather dangerously at the man emerging from the cockpit. "Seriously you bastard I can't believe you did that! I'm trying to save you guys!"

"Don't kill me!"

She shook her head spreading her hands out and placing them together to form the makeshift angelic wings. Even now she was amazed that she could do this but it didn't do too much to change her aggravated answer. "Trust me, if I wanted to kill you, it would be all too easy." But killing people wasn't what she was here for, getting to Japan was and if she had known what was going on she wouldn't have been wasting time with small talk. With a single burst of movement she shot into the sky, the rush of wind breaking against her face before the sound of jet engines followed shortly after.

"Tsk…so they want to go for round two? Fine then, bring it on."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Finally got the chapter done! I've been quite busy with not just the University but a lot of other stuff as well. While I will be finishing the story I can't say when the next chapter will come up. It could be in a few days or it could be in a few weeks. Originally I wanted to write 100 chapters, clearly I'll just be dragging things out that far so the story will probably end between chapter 85-90 give or take. As usual I thank all those who have read andor reviewed the story and I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well.


	79. Towards The Greatest Goal

**Chapter 78: Towards The Greatest Goal**

Five F16 jets with heat seeking projectile missiles and machine gun fire would've been quite a problem for the old Elrya Alya, and in her position they were still a big problem. The issue was location, that being the massive ocean that frothed below her as she soared through the skies, zipping around gun shots and missiles. She was confident in her ability to avoid the strikes and for the weaker shots from the machine guns, deflect them as well. What she wasn't sure of was just how much energy she had to keep this up. If she got hit just once, and not even lethally either, just a shot to send her back into the ocean, she was done for. She highly doubt they would make the same mistake as the one pilot and they would most certainly leave her to drown.

A flash of heat, her body swerving painfully to the left as her vector wings spread out to stop her and balance her movement. "Gah! This is insane; when I get back to Japan I expect a good long apology! Whoa!" The burning stench of flesh wafted through her nostrils as well as the warm aroma of blood. She placed a hand gingerly on her cheek, wincing at the stinging sensation. "That could have taken off my head! You bastards!" Fatigue was finally getting to her, breath came out in ragged gasps and now it was time to finish things once and for all.

Two of the black F16s increased their throttle, sound blasting forth before both of them flew off in opposite directions, one to the Diclonius' left and the other to her right. Flashing her eyes dangerously, she quickly addressed the situation as not to cause too much harm. The last thing she wanted was Miriana's on her case about killing people again, especially for something that she was able to control. She took great notice that they were keeping their distance, a wise choice on most parts but unfortunately for them, they had already been in range. A single shriek escaped her lips, followed soon by the shriek of tearing metal. Both jets found the wings pointing correspondingly to the girl's body torn right off of their hinges, sending both of them careening to the watery depths.

*TATATATATATATA!*

She was so used to this sound it was almost annoying. Nothing more than a louder version of small arms fire. Unlike small arms fire however, these bullets packed quite a punch and while deflecting a single shot was easy, trying to deflect many was out of the question. There were three left, if she just get them before they got her, it would all be over. Unfortunately they had discovered the length of her vectors now and were keeping a distance that was good enough to keep her from reaching them. "Haa! Haa! Haa!" She wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to take this. Using so much energy while over the ocean was taking a lot out of her and the concentration to keep so many vectors up was taking its toll on her fatigued body as well. "I can't…keep this up…" Sure enough she found herself slowly drifting back down, shaking her wildly when her feet began skimming the waters. "No! I can't give up! I can't lose because of this crap!"

Elrya Alya stopped in midair before simultaneously raising her vectors high into the sky. Running away wasn't working and they were smart enough to finally figure out the distance for her vectors. It was time she came to them, but she also had to attack at attack at an area where they wouldn't guess. It was kind of hard hitting an object that when faster than the speed of sound.

*SMASH!*

A massive tower of water exploded where her vectors had clashed, her other hands also kicking up waves so that the sky was suddenly filled with water and foam. A few shots were fired off where the young girl had been located but whether or not they hit was something they wouldn't know until it finally cleared. Such an answer would be given quickly enough as Elrya Alya shot like a bullet into the sky, right at the first unsuspecting jet that was passing by. Screeching, metal was torn apart and the second jet's wings obliterated on the spot. However Elrya Alya did not keep going, instead as the jet crashed into the ocean and rose back up to float pathetically in the waters, she actually flew back down and landed on the cockpit, the window completely destroyed.

"M-Monster!"

She didn't even let him bring the gun out, before the pilot's eyes, his small black pistol crumbled in his hand. The next thing he tried to do was jump right out, but Elrya, having broken away from Alya and separated their minds now, pushed him roughly back down. "You aren't going anywhere, not until you tell them to stop attacking me!" Her voice was low and dangerous, a threat in every syllable. "You can contact them right?"

Unable to speak due to fear, he nodded.

"Good. Tell them to stop attacking me! I need to get to Japan right now and in case you didn't know, I'm actually trying to help you guys!" She knew that as long as she stood on the plane with one of their own, the others would not dare attack her. The pilot that she was with, a rather young man at that swallowed nervously, holding the radio and checking to see if it was still working. Elrya sighed deeply, noticing his hesitation.

"Just do what I say and I won't hurt you."

She wondered what would happen if they didn't agree with her. She really had no intentions of hurting them; it would've been rather insulting to Miriana if she ended up killing again, especially these random people. Still, breaking an arm or leg just to make a point did seem quite possible. Luckily such a thing wouldn't be needed, the young man told the others to back off. "Thank you; try not to waste my time again. Oh were you expecting to have children?" She asked rather timidly, sort or realizing she had touched his bare flesh with her vector. Startled he gave a half exasperated nod. She looked at him, though for a moment then said with a small smile. "Well that's nice, you have fun with that." She took another few minutes to rest; her breathing back to normal then launched herself back into the skies. Watching as she disappeared over the horizon, the pilot couldn't help but think of how lucky he had been.

* * *

><p>"Oh snap!" Caren and the others had just heard the news from Julius, their angst more than apparent as it should have been. Yet none of them were prepared for the ungodly wave of heat that blew across their face when they arrived at Kakuzawa's location. As far as she could tell, the only other group that wasn't there yet was Roy's own but such a though was a trifling matter compared to what she was looking at right now.<p>

Within 5 meters of the dome, the ground had sunk in from the intense heat but even that was small compared to the actual shield that spread around Kakuzawa's body. It was like watching lava flow down the side of volcano, dripping at the ends and spreading so that the nothing but scorched land stood in Kakuzawa's path. The man himself was on his hands and knees, despicable revulsion etched permanently upon his face.

"You bastards. You insufferable traitors and humans. If you had just known your place and died like the rats that you were, I would have won! I would be God and you would all be gone!"

"Still hasn't shut up I see…" Caren thought heavily, shielding her face. "At least he isn't as loud, but…guh…" She couldn't even take the heat and it obviously wasn't just her. Some of the Diclonius couldn't even get close enough for their vectors to reach the shield without suffering under the pressure of the heat wave. Those could reach him still had to keep a good distance away and though she had no idea how long some of them had been there, she only knew that the sweat dripping from the young girls was not a good thing.

*BANG!*

Gunfire, in the horde of agonizing heat and yells she found the sound of bullets zipping and clashing against the shield almost unnerving. Again and again, bullets clashed against the shield, sending small cracks throughout it but never breaking it. For the humans, they had finally realized that this was no longer a matter of differences between two groups of people. This was pure survival and the flight or fight response instantly obliterated any sort of hate they had for their fellow horned comrades.

Snapping her group out of her illusion with her Clock Stopper, they instantly stumbled and moan in the heated area. "Don't just stand there like idiots! Help them!" She cried out angrily, annoyed at their flinching. However it didn't take long for more shots to be fired off, smashing and clashing against the melting monstrosity.

*BASH!*

*BANG!*

*BAM!*

*CLANG!*

These sounds were prevalent and it would be the last thing that they may hear if they couldn't beat him. The idea was to have numbers, but if some of them were keeping back, making small movements forward but the intense heat seemed to be getting the better of them. Watching them, Caren knew she had to act fast but not just because they needed to stop this madman, but also to prove to the others that they had to ignore the fear and pain.

"Kyaaah!"

*BASH!*

She struck once, her hand slashing harshly against transparent heat and she was suddenly reminded of an oven. Nothing but pure, unrestrained and ungodly heat was focused upon her, not as if her body was burning but the airless feeling that she was going through. Choking, spluttering, she covered her mouth and slashed again.

"…W-We can't just stand here and do nothing! Come on!"

She liked that sound, the sound of inspiration and conviction to fight back! This was their last chance, not only to stop Kakuzawa but to prove to humanity that they all weren't monsters ready to kill humans under a single whim. That some of them knew humans, were related to humans, that some of them loved humans. Caren herself really didn't understand this concept of why Diclonius had an innate hatred for humans. It was true that at times, regardless of whether or not experiments were being done on her, she sometimes got these urges to just…attack somebody. Sometimes, what appeared to be a small voice in her head would tell her to attack somebody and it scared her because she couldn't tell if it was her own thoughts or somebody else. Even so, she had loved her sister more than any other person in the world and at no point had the thought of hurting ever crossed her mind. Perhaps if they survived and unfortunately it was a big IF on that, they could figure something out.

She finally broke off, spluttering harshly as some of the other girls who had bravely struck Kakuzawa were forced back. Standing in the heat wasn't something they could do for long periods of times but at the same time they couldn't stop. She took one deep breath and crossed through the inferno once more.

*BASH!*

The only thing that she was aware of was herself. She struck the shield almost on animalistic instinct, slashing, hacking and just hoping the others would do the same. "Ignore the heat! Ignore the pain!" Surely for the Diclonius, they who had suffered pain for years, this would be nothing right? But it was something; it was a mental and physical battle of endurance while time ticked quickly away.

*BASH!* *BASH!* *BASH!*

"Must…not…stop…"

And they didn't stop, in fact she increased her energy even more and now she wasn't sure if the thing burning around her was the sensation of Kakuzawa's meltdown or the sensation of her own entropy eating at her flesh.

* * *

><p>"Yo, Queen!" Roy yelled out after the people gathered around them, guns of different types but the blue haired man pointing to a specific black haired boy holding a small pistol as if it were some sort of time bomb. "If that brat gets killed, I don't want you throwing a shit fit and trying to kill us all, got it?" He had point blank told Kouta not to come but no, the brat was committed in making his life harder than it already was.<p>

Even Lucy had begged him not to do this, that if he died she could never forgive herself.

He was adamant.

"Guh! Who cares? I guess, the more we have the better, we don't have much time, Lucy take us to wherever the hell Kakuzawa and the others are." Roy growled, the others quickly following the Queen. He gave a quick glance at Yuka and Nazomi, neither of them holding weapons not that he expected them to do so and despising every bit of idiocy that came from them. He didn't want to hear a single bit of shit from anybody if they got themselves killed.

* * *

><p>"SON OF A BITCH IT'S HOT!"<p>

"I'm glad you noticed…" Caren uttered in a disheartened tone at Bando's rough comment.

"Nana!"

The Sipilet in the midst of attacking the shield indiscriminately gazed over her shoulder. "Kouta! Yuka! Nazomi!" They all smiled deeply at their friend, glad that she was doing alright.

"Don't just stand there idiot! Start firing!" Bando roared, pulling out his now loaded Desert Eagle and firing rapidly into the dome. They clashed and then exploded wildly on impact, sending a haze of smoke into the sky. "Fuck yeah! Specialized Explosive Tungsten Bullets! Have some you old fuck!" Bando quickly leered over at Lucy. "…And once we're done, I got a few rounds for you."

"Tsk. Tough words from a man who got his arm cut off…"

"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME BITCH!"

Before Kakuzawa had felt nothing more than pure elation when Lucy had appeared, now, strict hate swelled inside of his body. "You dare…to show your face to me! You all dare…to show your faces to me! I don't care if I don't become God anymore, if the last thing I see is your death, it'll be more than perfect. I hope you all die. I hope you all die painfully!

I hope you all perish you bastards!"

Counting down…15 minutes.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Next chapter completed and we're heading to the final moments of the story. I have currently started fixing the earlier chapters, in this case Chapters 5-12 (As I had a beta reader for the first I didn't look over that.) While I have done most grammatical corrections, I have done a few story line corrections as well. For example in the earlier chapter ElryaAlya gets a note from Garder giving them instructions. However it's later on stated that neither one of them can read very well so I instead changed it so that a radio was given to them.

R&R


	80. Clutch The Burning Aspiration

**Chapter 79: Clutch The Burning Aspiration**

"_This is our world…the world we live in, together with them. We are just a speck in the world but together we are strong. Our numbers make us strong, our conviction makes us strong. We want to live in a world without pain, misery or regret. This is our last chance to show the humans, that we are not all monsters."_

Closer and closer they came, vectors slashing, hacking and smashing without pause against lava colored defenses. But even though they inched ever so closely to victory, it always seemed as if the goal was further away. How many cracks had to appear before the shield finally shattered? How many times did the bullets have to clash before it finally proved effective?

"Enough…I'll show them what the true Queen can do." She felt rather proud of herself, arrogant as she always was, Lucy concentrated. She was the Queen, the most powerful Diclonius in the world and it was about damn time she taught the man who imprisoned and made her life a living hell pay for everything. What sounded like some sort of primal shriek, Lucy let go of her restraints, concentrating her entire attacks on singular location. If Elrya Alya had been a concentrated lightning bolt, Lucy was a wide spread thunderclap. While the intensity itself was not as great, its distance of attack and size of the hands itself was much greater.

*BASH!*

25 hands, each one the width of a large log clashed simultaneous upon the heinous shield that encompassed the hellish Head Director. The force sent an earth shattering shockwave across the ground, causing some of the others to almost lose their balance. "Watch it bitch!" Bando roared.

"What, surprised human?" She mocked harshly.

"Dumbass! That ain't fuckin' nothing! I'll show you some real firepower!"

As if trying to make a challenge to the Queen in the midst of the global threatening battle, Bando popped out a second gun, this one also given specialized explosive bullets when they had arrived at the city and this time he began firing rapidly with a scowl across his face. Detonations blasted the dome, the thick cracks growing ever so more while Lucy continued her assault as well; increase her power and ultimately her entropy ever so much. At this point the Queen and the bionic soldier seemed to be at some sort of showdown as if seeing who could break the shield first. They, along with everyone else clashed violently, and for the first time they finally saw something new.

Small pieces of the shield had started to blow off, like pieces of glass that hit the ground and disappeared into nothingness. "No…" The old man, huddled upon his hands and knees shook his head rapidly. "…I won't allow this! You all deserve to die for betraying me!" But one problem was emerging, something that could prove detrimental to the entire thing. Unlike the Diclonius who could use their vectors as much as they want, the humans had a very specific issue. That being ammo and the fact that it wasn't unlimited.

"I-I'm running out of…bullets!"

"Sh-Shit!" Roy couldn't help but curse loudly. "If we stop putting the pressure on him now, we'll never get back to it again!"

Understanding the situation, Lucy increased her power. 50, 100, 150, for the most part because she was so close to Kakuzawa, it looked like a jumbled mess of straggly thick vines. Her eyes narrowed and her horns lengthened considerably. She was the Queen, the most powerful Diclonius in the world. Perhaps she didn't have the longest range, or the most numerous, but her title as the "most powerful" would never be questioned at this time. A reason to live, a reason to go back to her family, to live a happy life. She wouldn't dare let this bastard take that away from her ever again.

"Gah!" Something struck her, as if a knife was suddenly struck into her side and blood spat from her lips. "Ah! Wh-What?"

"Oh…what's this?" Kakuzawa mused happily, content with just watching them die even if it meant the death of himself. "It looks like your entropy has gotten to its end. Oh keep going, it'll be fun watching you struggle and fail to destroy my shield and watch you burn!" If he couldn't win, then he would let nobody win. He'd take them all out in one burning inferno and laugh before he too was destroyed.

He was right though, Lucy was holding herself tightly, and blood trickling down her pale lips before something grabbed her around the waist. Something warm and friendly, the feeling of kind hands around her body. "Don't give up Nyu!"

"K-Kouta?"

"We're here for you Nyu! Keep going!"

"…Y-Yuka…?"

"Don't stop! We believe in you!"

"N-Nazomi?"

"Come on Lucy! We're counting on you!" Nana roared from the side.

"Kick it up wimp! You aren't going to be much of a challenge if that's the best you got!" Bando hissed at her.

"That's right…" She thought to herself. "I no longer…have to be alone."

*BOOM!*

"HOLY SHIT!" Bando's outcry was not the only one voiced but it was certainly the loudest. An explosion, if one could even call it that had struck the shield from above, blowing off a huge portion of the upper half that reformed together. Jets, not just 10, not 20, but 40 jets that included Julius's own zipped through the sky in formation, throwing down bombs, missiles and machinegun fire. Shattering of the glass like shield, pieces being blown again and again. Garder, arriving at the scene now perked his ears at the location of Kakuzawa. "Julius…attack the center upper fold of the dome."

"Aye sir…"

"Keep it safe guys! Try not to get blown up!" Roy cried.

Kakuzawa glared hatefully above him, spite of all the sorts radiating through his pores. "Keep trying you bastards! Keep trying! You'll never reach me in time! You'll never reach me before death swallows you up! This is fate, for all of you to die, to burn in Hell! JUST QUIT AND DIE ALREADY!"

*BOOM!*

Another shattered piece.

*BAM!*

Another piece flung off into the sky to disappear.

*CLASH!*

And the burning heat engulfed the area.

"…We don't have much time… Garder thought heavily, unable to see but certainly able to hear and feel the hellish feeling of impending doom. Too true on that remark, it would've been best to say that they had a total of 2 minutes before complete meltdown emerged. The device clutching to Kakuzawa's chest was short circuiting, sending wild sparks around his body. "Perish and die for your betrayals! Perish and be sent to the pits of hell where you belong!"

"We're so damn close!" Caren though heftily.

"Damn straight Sheila, keep it up!" Roy uttered quickly.

"Looks like Kakuzawa got a bit out of control…"

Roy nodded once. "Of course…where have…ELRYA?" Sure enough standing there with the most prideful smile imaginable was Elrya Alya. Roy starred at her for an inconceivable 5 seconds as if to see if she wasn't some sort of illusion before finally snapping out of his trance. "G-Girl! Finally you made it back!" Across from her Bando gave a quick shout out. "Welcome back you damn brat!" And Lucy herself gave a long but silent look over at as well.

"Where's Yin and Miriana girl?" As he asked it, he noticed the look he gave her, neither morbid nor happy, but very tense. It was the kind of expression that said there was both good news and bad news. "I'll tell you all later, what's going on here, it feels like a volcano." She asked, covering her face and wiping the large beads of sweat that hung on her cheeks and chin. Roy gave a casual finger over at Kakuzawa, some of his bullets still shattering against the ever relenting dome. "Long story short…in about 1 minute Kakuzawa's going to kill us all unless we can break that shield." Roy uttered in a rather simple voice. Elrya glanced at him for a few seconds then broke into a mad rush towards Kakuzawa. "Damn it Roy! Don't you think that was important information!" She stopped abruptly near Lucy, taking a quick look at the Queen.

"It's you…" Lucy muttered.

"Yeah…long time no see Lucy." Elrya piped amusingly, giving a wide spread grin. "Looks like you're having some trouble, mind if I help?"

"Stop bitching and start attacking!" the ex-SAT soldier roared. "We don't have much time!"

Such was the truth; last 20 seconds were ticking down quickly, ready to end the world as they knew it.

"Hey Lucy…this bastard has done a lot of trouble for you. Let's take him down…together." Elrya said sternly, closing her eyes and concentrating her mind. "You too Alya, are you ready?" A soft giggle echoed inside of her head. "I'm always ready, didn't I tell you, no matter what happens, I will always be by your side. Come on; let's show this bastard what true Diclonius can do." Nodding her head, their minds joined, their vectors came forth and like two twisting tornados her and Lucy's powers joined together into what could be described as an unstoppable force of nature. The power of a complete storm, ready to destroy anything in its path. It wasn't just her; some of the closer Diclonius also began merging their vectors into the maelstrom of power.

5 seconds remaining…

"_If we can fight for just one cause, it would be the cause to be accepted. No longer do we want to be hurt, and for some of us, our hatred for humanity as not completely dwindled. It may never completely dwindle, even if that strange desire to kill them has been ridden. But we don't want to be alone either; we want to be accepted as living creatures with minds, bodies and souls. Not as test animals, we want to be accepted._

_At the end here, will that happen?_

_Let's hope…"_

Every shot, every vector, every missile, every conceivable weapon right down to the small handgun that Kouta had finally decided to fire hit the shield at every possible angle imaginable. There was no sound, as if such a thing had been abandoned at that moment in time. There was no feeling either; if death came it would undoubtedly be painless. The only visible thing was some sort of light, like a fire that spread across the skies. Too late perhaps, so close but ultimately too far. But this was not the case, because in a single instant what truly happened finally crashed into their fields of vision.

A single massive explosion as the dome was blasted apart, pieces upon pieces flying out into the sky and melting away before they could even hit the ground. With his own eyes starring in horror, Kakuzawa at long last could see a clear vision of the world that was not obscured by his deadly dome. There was no longer a dome; instead it was like a thinly broken molten spider's web that twitched uncontrollably. "This is…impossible…" The web like areas however were starting to merge back together.

"The thing on his chest! The device, take it off!" Roy yelled.

Anybody could do it, but the person who needed to do it most of all was the Queen of the Diclonius herself. Lucy felt another primal roar escape her lips, her feet racing across the singed ground while dust kicked up. Something was going through her ears, something that she could mistake for cheering because that was impossible. It was cheering, motivation from those behind her to continue going forward. She had found a family, people who loved her. Those days at the orphanage, the puppy, the facility, all of it could be ended. For the first time…she could do good in her life. At long last…she could live her life happily.

…

"…Welcome to the end…you insufferable freak…"

*TEAR!*

Metal and flesh along with the screams of pain and denial filled the air for one last time, deadly fingers of invisibility clutching the metal box and a good chuck of Kakuzawa's skin finally tore it right off of the man's body, squeezing tightly until it shattered into a hundred unrecognizable pieces. The last bit of the dome, unable to remain disappeared from sight and thus signaling the fall of Director Kakuzawa.

* * *

><p>On the ground, with blood leaking out of his chest, Kakuzawa found himself beaten and defeated and looking up into the eyes of the person had thought would be his Goddess. Pitiless, Lucy glared at him, the man who had ruined her life. Defenseless, there was nothing short of disappointment in Kakuzawa's eyes. "Tsk…how inconceivable. To think that I…the god of all Diclonius…would be beaten by humans and traitors. I had everything, all the power, all the knowledge, all the resources…and yet I was still beaten. This isn't even funny as a joke.<p>

…Well then...why don't you go and finish me?"

…"I won't…"

He gave her a confused look, startled as Lucy turned and walked away. "…I won't kill you, not now, not ever. You can't do anything, you lost to us and I think that's good enough for me. If I kill you now, I don't think Kouta or the others could forgive me. Kouta himself still can't forgive me, but I can make amends. Besides, you won't be doing anything ever again." As she walked away, Elrya Alya starred coldly at Kakuzawa, making sure he didn't try to pull some fast one like Vladimir. But no worries, Kakuzawa did not try to pull a stunt and perhaps even more surprisingly, nobody tried to attack him. Sure they all glared at him, as if wishing for his death, but nobody actually went to do the deed. They just left Kakuzawa alone as members of the military went and cuffed him, keeping a tight watch on him.

"Roy…Bando…finally did it." The young Diclonius said happily to the two men, both of the sighing in relief.

"Yeah…feels kind of…Elrya? Alya?" Roy along with his partner gave the young Diclonius an incredulous look, causing Elrya Alya to giggle. Being with her so long, they had been able to distinguish the difference between Elrya and her alternate personality Alya. But now a new person stood before them. "I know your confused…don't worry about it." And with a simple twitch of her mind, Elrya emerged to the front.

"…Well I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's nice to have you back." Bando growled.

"It kind of is, but Elrya, where's Yin and Miriana?" Roy asked.

Once again she gave a down cast look, a small tear leaking down her cheek. Nevertheless she spoke loudly and firmly. "Miriana is just fine; she's at a good place with a good person. I was luckily able to save her from Vladimir. Unfortunately I wasn't so lucky with Yin. He was murdered by Vladimir as he tried to protect me and Miriana."

!

"Don't be worried…" She said sternly, looking at them. "…Even though he's not here anymore, he's still here…in my heart."

"…I see…"Roy said simply.

"…Yeah…he'll always be in my heart and in my memories. I'll always and forever love him. Always and forever."

*TAK* *TAK* *TAK*

Her ears perked up at the sound of heavy footsteps. A small gasp came from Roy before the sound of a gun clicking near Elrya's head echoed inside of her ears. She didn't blink, flinch or looked worried. The only she did was quietly and calmly turn around to face the person who held the gun up, her red eyes starring stern and calmly at the man holding the weapon towards her head.

"…Long time no see…Garder F. Morotisan."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Well, I decided that now would be a good time to start wrapping things up. It's been a short Arc, much shorter than I had intended but I don't wan to drag it out. So this is it, one more chapter and "Pinpoint Lifeline" will officially be over. It may be a while before I get it posted though, I'm going to be making corrections through out the rest of the story. In the meanwhile as usual I thank all those who have read andor reviewed the story and hope to deliver a breathtaking final chapter ASAP.

So what will happen on the final chapter...of "Pinpoint Lifeline?"


	81. New World And New Surprises

**Chapter 80: New World And New Surprises**

A morbid sense of seriousness accompanied the air, all eyes set upon the elderly director who stood but a few meters away from the young Diclonius, is raised pistol pointing directly at her head. Some of the Diclonius gave small growls underneath their throats but for Elrya she merely starred at Garder sternly but quite calmly as well. Ominously the wind began to blow, small bits of dust kicked around her forcing her to her to twitch naturally but besides that, her face made no change from its calm disposition. No movement from Garder as well, his face was also set into cold hard stare of indifference, the trigger finger pressed tightly, ready to fire at any given second. There he was, the man she hated second only to Vladimir himself, the man who instead of saving her, left her to rot inside a facility and then sent her out just to die. He had lied to her, mistreated her and ultimately made her live a life of ultimate suffering.

"…You're blind…"

She wasn't sure what made her say it. She glared into his milky white eyes, the remnants of his slit pupils barely noticeable. Nevertheless she could tell that blindness had done little to keep him from aiming the gun perfectly at her head.

"Aye…"

It was his only answer, just as strict of an answer that was expected from the Tokyo Facility Director. There was another moment of silence, each one of them glaring the other down in a showdown of stillness. Something of a gulp emerged from somebody, though who that person was would not be known. At long last Elrya spoke again, calmly and confidently to her the person that she didn't even know was her own Uncle. Perhaps she would never know, it wasn't something that Garder cared to explain. For their existence, nothing but enmity had flowed between the Director and the Diclonius.

"How many bullets do you have in that Gun? Garder F. Morotisan." She said his full name as a mark of her confidence and spite for him. That was she no longer afraid of him or anything for that matter. It could've been thought of almost as insult, to show that she could handle anything he threw at her. "I hope you have enough and I hope their powerful enough as well. I just killed over a 100,000 people and Vladimir Cents, let me just say that dealing with you doesn't seem so hard."

"…You murdered Vladimir Cents…and the last of the Army Of Dracul. Vladimir's legendary army of soldiers…"

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously while Garder continued.

"…Ranked as the leader of his own group of his own assassins, First Cent, The Incorrigible. Why do you think I was ranked higher than him?" At these words her confidence did, grudgingly she had to admit, wane a little. However it almost instantly shot back up. "I don't care, I don't care if you've killed 500,000 people, or even a million. I will never back down or be flung back into the dark cages of regret again. Beating you may not be easy, but it won't be impossible. The moment you fire that gun, I'll give everything I have to make sure you never hurt another person again."

!

This time Garder's expression did change, into something dark and menacing. One could almost hear the click of the trigger and Elrya readied herself to block the first shot that emerged.

"Garder!" Without warning, Roy finally called out to the military man, the wind blowing his blue hair around wildly. Garder, pausing his movement did not remove his blind gaze from the girl nor his raised pistol, but he did make a small motion of his head to signify that he was listening to the former Fifth Cent. "You were an expert military general in the army, if there's one thing you know its warfare. That means you also know that in a good war, strategies are even more important than the physical fight itself. That was one of the points about the operation known as 'Pinpoint Lifeline.' War is fought with tactics, 'Pinpoint Lifeline' is what happens when the enemies supplies are broken, their homes destroyed, in short they are left in a state of disruption and terror, unable to fight cleanly."

"What are you getting at Roy Synth?" Garder asked harshly.

"What I mean is, Perfect Soldier, is that we might be able to deal with this situation other than purely physical violence." Garder perked his head up in interested and Elrya had to admit she too was intrigued at what Roy had to say. "The last thing we really want is to get into a fight with you Garder. You're an expert on Diclonius and with your powers you are also quite capable of taking care of them as well. These girls are not ready to go into society just yet, but need to be gently let in slowly. So I was thinking of something rather unique.

…Why don't we start a specialized institution to teach Diclonius, instead of imprisoning them?"

Elrya shook her head, certainly confused at what she had heard and definitely not what she had expected to be said by Roy. "Do you mean like a…" She had to think hard, what was that word Yin had once mentioned during one of their times together. A place where people went to learn and that she never got the freedoms to enjoy. "…School for Diclonius?" The young girls who did know what she was talking about were just as confused as those who didn't.

"That's right Sheila. You see…and don't take this too personally girls…" He added over at the young Diclonius. "…You're all kind of mentally unstable and we really don't want another Mariko incident. It's nothing on you girls it's just…yeah you're all at fault here and I'd rather not get murdered because one of you throws a fit. So a school, directly made to teach Diclonius should be made. It'll be a place where they can live and thrive amongst their own population. At the same time you'll still be in charge of your own facility although the living arrangements there will have to be changed. In short, let the Diclonius live in this learning facility and if things go wrong, or you perceive something as a threat, we will let you do as you wish."

"I don't like that…" Elrya muttered coldly, her strong gaze still not leaving Garder's face. "Let him do whatever he wants? He'd probably see anything about us as a threat anyways. I don't trust him at all."

Roy sighed heavily, tapping his foot most impatiently. Somehow he had to get this idea of his working. "Listen Sheila, Garder might not be the person you like most, but unlike Kakuzawa he's both a competent Director and he probably won't go mad with power." He then turned back to Garder. "Osaka is one, perhaps the only place in the world that holds a truly positive outlook on Japan, I suggest building said learning facility here. Get people who understand Diclonius, hell I'll start teaching, since Vladimir's dead…thank you…" He added as an after whisper. "…I need to start making some cash somehow. Think about it Garder, Diclonius are less likely to cause an issue with their own kind and you'll have complete responsibility if anything goes wrong. In other words, if you see a problem, I don't really care if you decide kill them."

"Wh-What!" Elrya gasped out. "Roy that has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life!"

"Elrya, kindly shut your trap…" Roy uttered coldly.

Garder closed his unseeing eyes, letting the thought muse over in his head. "Victoria…" The young woman was startled when her name was called and Roy too had to admit this was unexpected. However it could help them realize a way for Garder to agree with their compromise. "What are your thoughts on this…?" Victoria gazed at him with a confused look, wondering why he was asking her such a question. Even if Victoria didn't know it herself, her existence as one of Garder's special employees was unique in more than one way. With the exception of Julius, who always envisioned himself as a human anyways, Garder always had an ill will towards Diclonius. At least that was his ideas after coming from the war. Unlike Julius though, Victoria prided herself in being a Diclonius and yet Garder had still allowed her to join his side. Did she perhaps remind him a bit of the daughter that few knew? Whether in name or more importantly in emotions and thoughts was it?

Perhaps it was this reason that he was not asking Julius himself. Perhaps to get the best answer he needed a Diclonius who prided themselves as who they were to help answer his question.

"Garder, you do know that I'm a Diclonius right? I'm serving you because Julius serves you. I love him and but honestly, if you end up putting the Diclonius through all what we've been through I'll have to put my foot down." Victoria finally said seriously.

Garder nodded. "…Very well then, this is the deal I will make with you. I will allow the creation of this specialized institution and have the other Diclonius sent there. At the same time I will be making routine visits to the facility to see how the Diclonius there are holding up. At any point that I believe something is wrong, I will have full permission to do as I please with the Diclonius there. Imprison them or even kill them if I so feel like it."

"Why you…" Elrya growled, moving forward but stopping from the look Roy gave her.

"If at some point the Diclonius act against their orders, I will deal with the way I see fit. At the very least I will be imprisoning them in my facility. If at some point any Diclonius, just one for whatever reason ends up doing a large scale piece of damage, such as what happened in Kamakura, I will see this deal as being nulled. I will have all the Diclonius returned back to the facilities."

Elrya snapped back at him. "You son of a bitch! Don't you think that's…"

"Deal…" Roy said sternly.

"Deal!" The young girl shrieked, turning to the blue haired man with wrath dancing in her ruby eyes. "That's completely absurd Roy! This isn't fair at all!" She turned back around to Garder, spitting a loathsome retort right back at him. "That's utter bullshit Garder and you know it! You can't just force all of us back to the facilities just because someone messes up! I won't have it!"

"…How annoying loud you are girl…" Garder commented dryly. "Whether you like it or not those are my rules. The moment they break those rules, I will personally be dealing with them, the same goes for you Elrya Alya." The young girl glowered angrily at him, despising him for reasons that were well deserved. "Fine!" She didn't like it, but she ultimately agreed, besides this would be a great way for the Diclonius to prove their worth. However she still felt the need for some sort of payback against Garder.

"Apologize! I want you to apologize not just to me but to the Diclonius here that you allowed to be tortured and experimented on. It won't have account for a fraction of the things you've done, but it'll at least be a start."

"I refuse."

She could hardly believe what she had heard. "Bastard! You are…damn…!" She couldn't take it, his arrogant, self-conceited thoughts. Oh he needed to do a lot more than apologize but at the very least he could say sorry.

"I am not obligated to apologize for any of my actions Elrya Alya, to you or anybody else. I have given my regards for the deal, accept them or deny them is up to all of you. Quite frankly considering that I was going to kill you a few minutes ago you should figure yourself lucky."

She glared at him deeply then deciding to speak about something else. "Arrogant jackass. Another thing too Garder F. Morotisan, if you're going to call me by my full name, why don't you use the whole thing? It's Elrya…Alya…Sandersas." She said with cold vindictiveness, putting great emphasis on each name especially the last. Garder at that point honestly was a bit curious and though he didn't say anything, he kept his head tilted towards her direction. She placed her hand upon her heart, a motion that was rather unneeded as Garder couldn't even see but she felt the need to do it anyways.

"I met somebody, when you sent me out to be slaughtered. A young man named Yin Sandersas, who I fell in love with and was going to marry! In our very hearts we were already married. Instead he was murdered by the very same man you sent out to kill me! In that regard, I'm going to put the same blame on you as I did for Vladimir with Yin's death." Yes, that's what she would do, Garder might not be directly responsible for his death but he was the reason that Vladimir was sent after her. He indirectly caused Vladimir's obsession with her which ultimately lead to his death. He had to take responsibility for his actions, a crime as heinous as that could not go unpunished.

Garder merely made a low growl inside his throat before finally answering. "What exactly do you want me to do about it?"

"Apologize…" She hissed menacingly, her red eyes flashing dangerously. "You're just as responsible for his death as Vladimir is."

"I refuse…"

It was something when Alya, the actual instinct, was telling Elrya to calm down because she too was mere moments from taking control and just lashing out at the blind Director. How dare he even say that to her, how dare he not apologize for his actions. How infuriated she was to hear those words from him. Alya might have been helping her refrain from physically attacking but that wasn't going to stop Elrya from giving Garder a piece of her mind and more importantly, her mouth. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Her voice echoed loudly, filled with pure vindictiveness in every syllable. "You sent me out just to have me killed! I was willing to help you and the only thing you ever did was try to kill me! I didn't do a fucking thing to you at all!

…Y-You…

YIN SANDERSAS IS DEAD AND YOU'RE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR IT AS WELL!" Let her scream it to him, let the knowledge soak into his mind. He had to take responsibility. "MY LOVER AND HUSBAND IS DEAD!" That's right, he was dead, though they only knew each other for a short while, and they had come to know so much about each other. She had got to know him both physically and emotionally and now she would never know that feeling from him again.

"Elrya…" She glowered at Roy, not caring for his interruption. However she did pause to listen as he spoke in a much more refined and sympathetic voice. "…Let it be, it's not something that you should bother yourself about. You've done more than enough on your own, you shouldn't let yourself get bothered by something like this."

"…Kuh…Gah…ahhhh…" She sighed heavily, turning away from Garder and walked away. She didn't even bother looking at him or saying anything in fear that she would completely lose it. "Thanks Alya…" She thought to herself. "I know…" Her friend replied serenely inside of her head.

"Alright Garder, the deal has been made. A specialized learning institution for the Diclonius will be constructed in Osaka, Japan. At the same time the Diclonius should probably remain in Osaka as well. The people there have a better disposition about the girls than most of the world does. Plus as you have stated, at any point that you feel a problem has risen with one of them, you have free reign to do as you wish. Adding to that, if…unfortunately such an incident as what happened in Kamakura would do happen again, you have free right to return all the Diclonius back to the facilities."

Garder nodded. "Very well then, we'll see how long this last. Julius and Victoria Javel, return back to my facility." "Yes sir!" They said in unison before leaving. Garder turned his attention to the members of the army. "I'll let all of you handle Kakuzawa." The once nearly all powerful director did nothing more but give Garder and the rest of them one long look of hate. Perhaps wishing that vectors would appear to kill them all but in the most part, he kept quiet. At that very moment, Kakuzawa felt more human than ever before. He tried to catch Lucy's gaze, grinding his beady black eyes into her as if she to blame for his defeat. Well that was partially correct in some regards but for Lucy, Kakuzawa was only a name she'd rather not ever have to see or be mentioned again.

"Girls, you understand what's going on right?" Roy asked the group of pink haired girls, some of them who were giving Garder long looks of hate especially those who had come from his own facility. However they nodded at Roy's question. "Good, it's time to show the world where you guys stand. For some of you Osaka has already become home, a much better home than what you are used to in fact. For some of you newer folks, I suggest you look up to the older Diclonius. While Garder's rules may be strict they do have a good point to them, we can't have any more problems, from either side."

"We about done here? I'm bored as hell!" Bando growled aloud taking handling his gun carefully. "Besides, I have a debt to finish with that…WHERE THE HELL DID SHE GO!" Scaring a good half of the people there, Bando swerved around with his gun raised, which lead to a good bit of the Diclonius raising their vectors up in alarm. Lucy along with her makeshift family was nowhere in sight. Even Nana herself was nowhere to be seen and the clearest vein was now appearing on Bando's sweaty face. Roy stepped forward, giving a half exasperated sigh of apparent comfort. "Don't sweat it mate, you took down 50 of them single handled, that's more than anyone can say and the rest of us agree with it."

"That doesn't matter! I have a debt to settle with that pink haired bitch!" Going into a rather comic fit of frenzy, Bando stomped his foot on the ground and starting shooting rapidly into the sky. Elrya at this point decided to take a good 15 steps away from the chaotic man and wondered how on earth she managed to stay around him for this long, much less how he managed to keep his calm for this long. After his bout of infuriating childishness, Bando spat on the ground and remained angrily stoic until finally speaking up. "So what now, we going to see the little pacifist?"

It sounded like a good idea. With the entire group of Diclonius near them, Roy felt it was about time to get things settled away. "Where exactly is she at?" Roy inquired to the young Diclonius. She put a finger to her head in thought. "Let me see, some place called…Hooguarie…?"

"…Hungary?" Roy said simply.

"Yeah…something like that."

At this point, Roy wondered how on earth, even for a girl who apparently flew back to Japan, was capable of arriving in such a short amount of time. Then deciding that such thoughts would only lead to more problems, he just let it go. Why start worrying about such unsettling stuff anyways?

"Hey Caren!"

"It's Carentorzulan!" The Diclonius said loudly.

"Jeesh. You're adamant about that full name thing aren't you? Well anyways can you do me a favor? I need to leave with Elrya Alya and Bando here. Think you can take the other Diclonius to Osaka?"

"Of course."

Nodding his thanks, Roy, Bando and the young Diclonius named Elrya Alya set off to their next destination.

* * *

><p>*CLICK* *CLICK* *CLICK*<p>

The clicks of the guns echoed in their ears as the rifles were raised up to the three people's heads. Apparently this was the welcoming committee from Hungary. "What the hell girl? Why are they pointing their guns at us!" Bando roared with frightful fury at the Diclonius who sighed nervously.

"I…might have…caused a little bit of trouble while I was here. I also…might have told them…that when I came back they could punish me for what I did. I didn't think they were going to take it seriously!"

"You idiot!" Roy yelled. "What exactly did you do to get them so pissed off!"

"It wasn't my fault! Vladimir started controlling my mind and body and made kill and destroy and…"

Roy starred at her with his mouth partially open in surprise. "Th-That's the most…insane piece of…are you on Crack girl?" Roy stammered uncontrollably, wiping the bead of sweat from his eyebrows. Elrya gave him a long look of curiosity at this point, speaking in a lightened voice. "What's this…Crack…you're talking about?" Roy at this point metaphorically smacked his face, hating himself for getting caught up in such a mess. "Forget I said anything…"

Bando grumbled loudly, eyeing the guns before roaring. "Stop pointing those things at us! Point it at the brat, she's the one who's been causing the trouble!" Elrya turned on him, shrieking at the Ex-SAT soldier. "What are you talking about Bando! Whose side are you on anyways?" Her retort was matched by burly man's own who shook his mechanical fist angrily right into her face. "I'm on my side you little brat! I didn't come here to get shot because you screwed up!" Oh the fight was on now as the two glared with ferocious intensity at one another, at one point Roy was kind of surprised that lightning was flowing between their eyes. Roy was stuck in a terrible position, not sure if they were going to get shot, or if Elrya and Bando were about to attack each other like two rabid animals for the same piece of meat.

"Is that…you…Elrya?" A voice broke the tension, leaving Elrya to turn around. She had recognized that broken Japanese voice anywhere and her furious demeanor softened up almost instantly when she saw Yin's father walking up to them. The armed men stood tensely, guns still raised until Yin's father spoke gently in Hungarian to them. Though still nervous, they ultimately believed that things would be alright and left the group with the elderly man.

"Who are you?" Roy asked politely.

"I'm sorry…allow me to introduce…myself." He said, Roy noticing the difficult way the man was speaking. Clearly while he understood the Japanese language, it was still only a second language to him and thus he still hadn't perfected speaking it. "My name is Karoly Sandersas…"

"Ah…" Roy sighed deeply, bowing his head low and speaking in a much more refined matter. "Sandersas, you must be related to Yin then." The old man nodded his head slowly, neither smiling, nor frowning but looking calmly complacent. "That's right, Yin Sandersas was my son and that he was…apparently in a relationship with young Elrya Alya over…here." The blue haired man took another deep breath, keeping eye contact as he wasn't going to feel embarrassed by this. Roy had nothing against Yin, he was a good person but at the same time their relationship was nearly as deep as Elrya Alya's had been with him. At the very best they were friends, perhaps even just acquaintances that happened to seek the same goals. Therefore he felt no reason to be embarrassed but at the very least he could show respect for the man who also did his best to make the world a better place.

"I didn't really know Yin that well, not as much as Elrya here did. He was a good man however and I too lost my own son as well. So believe me when I say that I can relate to you."

"Excuse me…" Alya piped, appearing in the front and letting Elrya's subconscious relax in the back. "But do you think we can see Miriana?" Elrya didn't say anything but she could sense the rather rushed sensation that was flowing through her other half's mind. Elrya was deeply saddened by Yin's death but it appeared that Alya had taken it even harder. While she didn't know why exactly, her opinion was that because Alya was personality that was once biologically connected to hating humans, it had hit her harder than usual. The first human to ever truly love her was dead after all.

The former Fifth Cent had to agree with her. This wasn't really the time to be discussing sad pasts and they had technically come from the flight to see Miriana. Elrya Alya already knew where she was located and for Alya, not really wanting to talk about Yin decided to go off without them.

"I never knew Yin was Hungarian…" Roy added as the group followed Mr. Sandersas.

"Yes, although his mother was actually Japanese. My wife, Alashi and I met just by coincidence. She was 10 years younger than me and spoke much better Hungarian… than I did Japanese. Well one thing lead to another and two years later we were married. We both felt that it would… be easier for me to learn Japanese and that's what we also taught Yin. He knows enough of the language to get by but he was definitely more…proficient in Japanese. Alashi home schooled him until he was about 5 years old and then…because of the war…we sent him to live with my wife's relatives in Japan. He came back once the war was…over and about the time he was 18 he went to personally study abroad in Japan."

Listening respectfully, Roy said shortly, "That's interesting to here. My wife, Orasami, was also Japanese who I met during one of my business trips to Japan. I used to work for my late father's international business and so I'm fluent in a few languages including English, Japanese, Bulgarian, French, Spanish and Italian. I've got a lot of different blood in me so you may not notice but I am Australian. Also my hair is naturally blue."

As they continued to talk, of which Roy sort of made it a point not to reveal too much of his own past, they finally made it to the hospital and then headed up to Miriana's room. The young girl, resting peacefully on the bed before opening her eyes at the sudden bout of noise. "Jesus Christ!" Roy couldn't help himself; Miriana was deeply wrapped in bandages with a pair of crutches leaning against the white walls.

"Roy! Bando!" Apparently her physical body wasn't putting a blight on that childish sweetness she was so well known for. Her hair was in its natural color though shades of the blonde could still be seen in the stands of pitch black. "I know I don't look too good but please don't be upset. I'll be fine I promise."

"I'll take your word for that girl. It's good to see that you're alive though. It looks like you might be here for a while though. How long is it going to take for you to completely heal up?" Roy asked sternly, eyeing the casts around her body. "Mr. Sandersas said that it could be at least 5 months, though I can walk a little bit with my crutches."

"Alright. Mr. Sandersas, you don't mind if Elrya Alya and Miriana stay with you, at least until Miriana heals up? I've got things to do in Japan and girl…" he spoke to the Diclonius. "You know once that school is made you'll have to head over there as well."

"Why me?" Alya muttered coldly.

"No choice Alya, it's the deal we made with Garder. Besides you don't exactly have a refined education, I mean you can't even read." Alya puffed her cheeks childishly at Roy's remark and turned her head, earning a short chuckle from her "Father in Law." However Mr. Sandersas was no quite interested in what this whole "school" thing was about.

"You probably know the strife that Japan has been in…" Roy spoke to Yin's father with a collected voice. "…And a few days ago we managed to stop Kakuzawa, the freaking madman and trust me when I say you should be really glad that you're alive right now. Well to make things short, people like Elrya Alya, those who have horns, are going to be sent to a special school in Japan."

Another question popped up in the old man's head. "Young Elrya Alya is a…very unique girl…she's done some things, things I know she...didn't mean but…" Roy stopped him, speaking before he continued. "Aye, welcome to the world of the Diclonius, allow me to explain some things."

* * *

><p><em>They said that we were the evolution of the human race, they called us Diclonius. We aren't sure if that's true or not but it's something that's written in our history. Some of hate the humans, for good reasons too but some of us don't, some of us have families who are humans. How long has it been, since the word freedom was said to us. No longer bound to chains, no longer bound to experiments. <em>

_Is this true?_

_Is this new life really true?_

_Can we…truly smile now?_

Around 6 months had passed since Kakuzawa's defeat and the world became well aware of the race that could in its entirety, wipe out humanity. The people of Osaka however were of course much more accepting of the young horned girls. They allowed them to live there while the specialized facility was created. For a young Diclonius however, she found herself living together with her best friend Miriana while Yin's father and other family members that lived in Japan gave their support.

Roy was working in Osaka and Bando was…well to be honest nobody knew where the burly soldier had gone to. He had made it his life to hunt down Lucy and after ceasing that, it was almost like he just needed to walk and find something new to do.

"Ugh…"

"…Is something wrong Elrya?" Miriana asked kindly, her hair now set in its vivid multi-colored array of beauty and her eyes set back into their gleam of happiness though currently looking at her friend with concern. Elrya held her gut and covered her mouth, feeling a bit ill though not exactly surprised. It was the middle of winter and she probably caught a cold, though being sick still sucked no matter what kind of illness it may have been. "I'm just not…feeling too well. Do you think we can go to the hospital?"

The young Diclonius kicked her legs while she sat in the waiting room, wearing her hat that was for both covering her horns and just to keep her warm. It was the kind of thing that, though she didn't have to wear it, she just felt better with wearing it. Some of the people, even after all this time, were still not ready for the Diclonius and though she was sure that they knew what she was, they could at least feel a little bit better by not seeing her horns.

The doctor called her in, her friend Miriana following to support her. A doctor, she suddenly began thinking of Yin but not a tear streamed down her face. She loved him, she would always love him and she not cry now. She would smile at the memories they shared. Smiling was a bit harder when she felt sick. The doctor did his work on her, checked her temperature and seemed a bit concerned about a few things. "Oh man, I hope I didn't catch something too bad…" Alya grumbled mentally.

"Can't be anything too bad…" Elrya though before the doctor came back in.

"You don't mind if I do a quick test, just to see something." The doctor asked politely. She saw no reason why not and let him do a few checkups on her before leaving the room again. Miriana was staring out the window, watching the small flakes of snow hit the window lightly. She had seen snow before as a child; she had played in it with her mother. It was a beautiful sight and she thought that Winter, at least when it was calm and sere like this was her favorite season of all. A few minutes later the doctor returned.

"Well Miss Sandersas, I've got some special medication readied. Congratulations also…"

"Congratulations?" Elrya mumbled.

"…Yes my dear, you'll be having a baby soon."

!

"…E-Excuse me…?" The young girl mumbled, looking at the doctor and then at Miriana who had first was just as shocked as the Diclonius was. Yet almost instantly replaced by the most widest of brilliant of smiles from the 16 year old girl who couldn't help but hug her friend as tightly as she could. Was she supposed to be happy? Was she was supposed to be exhilarated? How about being absolutely surprised and dumbfounded by the fact that it was impossible for her to be pregnant.

"You're wrong…" She said softly.

"I'm sorry…" The doctor responded. "But all the signs point that you're pregnant right now, in a few short months you'll be giving birth."

"No I won't…" Alya said, surprising the doctor she her distinctive voice came up. "I don't think you understand, I cannot be pregnant. It's not about if I want to or not, I can't…be pregnant!" She exclaimed at him, trying to make sure he understood but he just shook his head. She was young and he probably thought that she just had a night of too much drinking with a friend and one thing lead to another. "It's true…"

She paused and placed her hand on her belly. She was a Sipilet right? Whenever she felt sick, even during the spring and summer, she just thought she caught some bug that was being passed around. She just assumed that her slightly growing belly was by eating more than she had even been able to eat in the 10 years she was in the facility. Therefore, even if the signs were as obvious as ever, she had been set to belief that she could never get pregnant.

But the average Sipilet…wasn't so average anymore.

Just one thought managed to pass through her pink haired, multi-conscious mind.

"…I'm…going to have…a baby?"

**Pinpoint Lifeline: The End**

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: 80 chapters! After 80 longer, amazingly epic chapters. Alright I'm not going to say it's the best EL story, that would be hypocritical, and I've read some very damn good EL stories. I'm just saying you know, 80 freaking chapters, and over 300,000 words written. Needless to say though it has defintely been fun. But nevertheless, "Pinpoint Lifeline" has finally come to an end. Through countless adventures, battles, pains and gains, Elrya Alya has ended her fist journey with quite a bang.<p>

Bugt wait, things are not over yet for their are some things that that have yet to be explained.

The first story is over, but the entire history has yet to be completed. So please get ready as the tale continues in the upcoming Prequel "Pinpoint Zero"

Thanks for reading!


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